


The Protection of Elves and Woodland

by The_Inkinator



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: (although it doesn't look like that at first), BAMF Elrond, BAMF James Potter, BAMF Legolas Greenleaf, BAMF Lily Evans Potter, BAMF Sirius Black, BAMF Thranduil, Cedric Diggory Lives, Chaotic Twins, Child Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Gandalf Is So Done, Gandalf Is a Little Shit, Gandalf Knows All, Gen, Ghosts, Good Draco Malfoy, Good Parent Thranduil, Good Peter Pettigrew, Gryffindor Draco Malfoy, I hope..., Implied Gimli/Legolas Greenleaf, James is a Dork, M/M, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Mild Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Minor Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald, Mirkwood, Misguided Albus Dumbledore, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Physical Abuse, Please be warned, Protective Elrond, Protective Legolas Greenleaf, Protective Remus Lupin, Protective Sirius Black, Psychological Torture, Remus Lupin Lives, Remus Lupin is a Little Shit, Sailing To Valinor, Sirius Black Lives, Sirius Black is a Little Shit, Sirius Black's Flying Motorbike, The Golden Trio Era (Harry Potter), This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, This Is STUPID, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Thranduil Not Being An Asshole, Torture, Work In Progress, Young James Potter, Young Lily Evans Potter, Young Peter Pettigrew, Young Remus Lupin, Young Severus Snape, Young Sirius Black, don't read if it's going to trigger you, he's just trying to do his job, or skip the parts that will... idk, this is a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26380345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Inkinator/pseuds/The_Inkinator
Summary: James grew up in a village where everyone knew everyone, until one day he met someone new in the forest he'd been told to stay away from. A connection formed between the Wizard and the Forest. How far does this connection go, and how will it affect the events already pre-planned for the Potter's?This story is probably going to be really long and have even longer gaps between updates, so please bear with me.This is not a happy story, to begin with. Please heed the tags and proceed with caution.
Relationships: Albus Dumbledore & Gandalf | Mithrandir, Albus Dumbledore & Garrick Ollivander, Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Elladan & Elrohir & Legolas Greenleaf, Gandalf | Mithrandir & Radagast | Aiwendil, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter, Hermione Granger & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, James Potter & Legolas Greenleaf, James Potter & Lily Evans Potter, James Potter & Severus Snape, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Legolas Greenleaf & Harry Potter, Legolas Greenleaf & Hermione Granger, Legolas Greenleaf & Remus Lupin, Legolas Greenleaf & Ron Weasley, Legolas Greenleaf & Thranduil, Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood, Peter Pettigrew & James Potter, Radagast | Aiwendil & Albus Dumbledore, Radagast | Aiwendil & Legolas Greenleaf, Regulus Black & James Potter, Regulus Black & Remus Lupin, Regulus Black & Sirius Black, Remus Lupin & James Potter, Sirius Black & James Potter, Sirius Black & Legolas Greenleaf, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 10
Kudos: 26





	1. Getting Lost is the First Step in Making New Friends.

**Author's Note:**

> This is set to start before the Marauders' Era of Hogwarts, and progress through to the end of The Trio's Era if I can make it that far. Be prepared for long chapters and longer waits between chapters.
> 
> It took me three weeks of on and off writing to get this first chapter done, so I can't quite remember which plot points I've talked about yet. I rewrote it so many times that I've definitely got some plot points mixed up. If there's anything you don't think makes sense, please leave a comment and I'll explain x

Far in the heart of England was a forest that had stood a testament of time. The trees stood taller than any other trees in the world, and the canopies were so thick with evergreen leaves that no light could possibly reach the forest floor. Because of this, no humans dared to venture into the darkness, for fear that they would get lost and never be able to find their way out. It became a secret for the British to keep, for no other country knew of this forest that was so well hidden from the eyes of men. There was only one small village on the edge of the forest with a single dirt path leading out from it to the rest of the world.

Most of the people in the village working the in farms or small shops that barely ever had stocked shelves. There was a single cafe that made baked goods and sold amazing coffee cheap for the locals. It wasn't a tourist village, instead each of the people living there provided for themselves and helped everyone else live as well. There was a small school with only one teacher and a class of very few each year.

It was this very small village in the middle of nowhere that James Potter was born. The village's doctor was the one who delivered him. She was a young woman with a kind smile that the Potters hadn't trusted when they'd first moved into the village a few years before, but it became obvious that the young woman was really a lovely lady who wanted to help as many people as possible while living her dream life away from the big city. When the Potters had first moved there, the village people were cautious, careful around the partially secretive family who dressed funny and often seemed so confused by even the simplest of things.

Slowly, the people had grown used to the rich family and their odd ways, so much so that it came as no surprise to them when one day the husband had come running through the village crying with joy at hearing the news of his wife's pregnancy. It further came to them as no surprise when the villagers, during a Christmas festival, spotted the two with sticks in their hands that sent fireworks flying up into the sky.

Magic had also become normal in the small village. The people simply accepted it as another oddity that the husband and wife brought with them. And everyone in the village expected James would be much the same when he was born. He was everything the thought and more. The boy caused trouble at every turn, but the childish smile he wore deterred all of the elders from punishing him for his mischief. He would sit in the classes doodling in the corner of his notebook, barely paying attention to the teacher, but whatever pop quiz she would drop on the class he passed with flying colours. There wasn't a day where he didn't amaze the people of the village.

So perhaps that was why they fought so desperately to keep him away from the forest. Everyone there knew to stay well away from the towering trees and the thick darkness beyond them. It seemed as though their fear simply aided in the boy's curiosity. He would come running out of the school in the afternoon and run along the pathways with his classmates of all ages, laughing joyously as they hurried to their parents. His mother and father trusted him to walk up the road on his own since they were so often at work and could not come to pick him up. It would be then that he would sneak off towards the mighty forest he'd heard so many stories about, curious to see if any of it was true. He would always make it to the edge when he would be picked up by a farmer's wife and hurried up the road to his house and put inside.

Most days that would be enough excitement for him. He would nod to the concerned woman and say he wouldn't try it again and go and play with his toys in his playroom until his father or mother got home, but that day, that fateful day, his curiosity wasn't sated. James watched from the window of his playroom as the woman would hurry back down the road to the farm to get back to work, and he knew, there was no better time than that moment to try again. He was seven, surely that was old enough to know what lurked beyond the tree line. He wouldn't go very far. He promised himself that, for even some seven-year-olds were still afraid of the dark.

The young Potter hurried out the back door of the cottage he lived in, along the length of his back garden and pushed open the gate. Locks weren't something that was needed in the village since petty theft hadn't been committed since the 20s. The local officer (there was only one older man who ran the police station) had told him the only thing he had to write reports for were disputes over land between farmers, and that the last time he'd seen any real crimes being committed, a young boy had picked the pocket of a girl he had a crush on. The two were married and lived on the edge of the town with their own small family growing much like the crops they planted every season.

Since there were no locks, James knew it was easy for him to get in and out of the house whenever he wanted. This meant he was hurrying back along the lanes in record time, without a single person batting an eye at his great escape. Of course, none of them knew he was going back to the forest. None of them knew what he would find once he'd passed the first tree.

-

James stood in front of the trees, shaking with excitement, or was that fear. He knew he didn't have long before someone spotted him, so if he was going to do it, it had to be then. He pulled a face of determination. He wanted to know what had the people in his town so afraid. Maybe he could borrow the sword that hung above the mantle in the living room and slay whatever it was that was hidden inside the forest. That way no one would ever have to fear the forest again. He took a step forward, followed by several more, and soon he was stood beyond the first tree. He'd done it. He was in the forest. A grin split across the young wizard's face and he quickly took off into the darkness, determined to see what was there.

James wandered through the forest for a while, looking around despite the darkness that surrounded him. It hadn't occurred to him that there wasn't the sound of birds chirping anymore, or that he hadn't seen any wild animals since he'd stepped foot into the trees. The young boy was simply too excited at finally being able to explore a new place.

Hours must have passed before James began to tire. His steps became slower and every so often a soft yawn would pass his lips. It wasn't long before he came to a stop, the desire to go home and sleep filling him. He looked around, not able to see much further than the length of his arm outstretched, attempting to figure out which way would lead him home. However, the more he turned the more confused he got. Which way had he been facing? What way was home? Had he come over the tree root or that one? James felt tears build behind his eyes, which way? He fought the tears off for as long as he could, determined that boys didn't cry. He wasn't a crybaby like the girls and he would find his way home. That determination faded the longer he stood rooted in one spot, unable to determine which direction to go.

Panic flooded him, and James, deciding any direction was better than none, took off in a run in whatever direction he'd been facing. He stumbled over tree roots, and banged into branches, unable to see them in the dark and through the blur of tears that teetered on the edge of spilling over. He didn't stop running until his lungs burned and his legs collapsed under him. It was then that he broke down into tears. Pitiful sobs racked through him, and he desperately cried out for him mum or dad to come and get him.

The boy wailed so loud he didn't hear someone approaching him. He didn't see how the small spot he'd fall to the ground on seemed to glow as light spilt into the area. It wasn't a bright light, just a soft green glow along the floor. James' pulled his head up from his knees when he felt something land on his hand. It was the first animal he'd seen since he had entered the forest, a small glowing firefly. James sniffled and gently reached up with the other hand, but the bug flew away before he could touch it. His eyes carefully followed it, curious once more, and startled when he saw the bug land in the palm of a stranger.

The thing about living in a small village with no people coming in from the outside, everyone knew everyone. James knew that the person in front of him wasn't from the village. He pushed himself back against the tree behind him, trying to disappear. He found that he couldn't take his eyes of the person in front of him. They had long blonde hair and sharp features. James could see that they had bright blue eyes that seemed to glow in the soft light that surrounded them. The boy dared not move as he stared openly at the person. The figure crouched down in front of him, giving him a small smile. "Are you lost, little one?" The person asked. James noticed, now that they were closer, that they had pointy ears and the circlet on their head looked like woven silver branches with leaves. Their voice was deep and soft, portraying wisdom and kindness all in one.

"Yes." He breathed. James had never been taught about stranger danger, for in the village there was never a stranger. He didn't know he wasn't meant to speak to the person before him, but he looked at the beautiful creature -he'd decided it definitely couldn't be human- and he trusted it.

"Are you from the human village?" There was a strange lilt to the creature's voice, making it sound melodic but shuttered while it spoke English. Perhaps it didn't speak English often.

"Yes. Can you help me get back?"

"Most certainly. Might I ask your name, little one?" The creature slowly stood up, moving deliberately as to not startle the small human. James followed suit and pushed himself up from the dirt.

"Only if you tell me yours." The small smile on the creature's face grew into a wider one, and for a moment its eyes seemed distant.

"Legolas Greenleaf is my name. This is my forest. Might you share with me now?" James grinned as well. The two began walking in a direction, the glowing lights of the forest following them, although as James looked around he couldn't find their source.

"James Potter. My mum and dad live in the village. Everyone told me not to come here, but I wanted to see why they were so scared. Is it because you live here? I don't think you're that scary." What he said brought a songful chuckle to the creature's lips.

"Ah, I'm afraid your human friends are right to fear this place. There are worse things that live in these trees than me. Of course, there are also more pleasant things here than me as well." James' child mind took a moment to process the words, but by then the creature was saying more. "It really depends on which direction you walk. Most of the dark creatures stay to one side, happy to live far away from the light of the peaceful dwellers." Fear spiked in the young boy's mind.

"Which way was I heading? To the light side or the dark side?" Legolas looked down at James and gave him a reassuring smile.

"You were getting close to the territory of the Great Spiders, but in their age, they've become a more neutral resident in the trees. I doubt harm would have come to you had you gone further. They haven't much a taste for humans nowadays." James grinned up at the creature. He could feel his curiosity rising again now that he knew he wouldn't be lost any longer.

"What kind of creature are you? Are you a good or a bad creature." Once again Legolas gave him a warm smile. James returned it with vigour. He liked the creature who was guiding him through the forest.

"I'm an Elf. We are not inherently good or bad, just as humans aren't either. One should not base their views of an entire race on just a few bad ones." James wouldn't admit later on in his life that at that moment he didn't understand what Legolas had been saying, but in the mind of a seven-year-old, he thought it made no sense whatsoever.

The trees began thining as they walked, and the canopy didn't block out all of the light. Soon, James was able to see the village beyond the trees. He grinned widely and took off running towards the familiar sight, grateful to be free of the darkness. He'd said he wouldn't go too far in, and James swore he wouldn't do it again, so next time he wouldn't get lost. In his mind, despite the scare, James knew that day wouldn't be the last he stepped beyond the tree line and into the darkness. He paused at the edge of the forest, looking back into the darkness, seeking out the Elf that had led him back to his home. He couldn't see the creature. Perhaps he had imagined it, he thought vaguely as he turned back to the village and began his descent down the slope to his house. Perhaps there had never been an Elf in the first place. The creature hadn't seemed real.

James looked down at his hand, remembering the touch of the Elf. It had tingled, like when his mother used magic on him. In his palm, there was a small leaf. It was green and covered in those veins you could see dancing across the leaf when you held it up to the light. At first, James thought it was real, but when he ran his finger over it, he found it was rigid and cool to the touch. He held it up to the sunlight and grinned when the light filtered through it, making it look like it was glowing. "Pretty." He mumbled.

"James!" He didn't register the voice until he was suddenly scooped up into a hug. James startled and let out a yelp, only settling down when he heard the worried tone of his mum. "Oh, we were so worried about you. Where did you go?" James looked at her, seeing the streaks of makeup running down her cheeks. He felt terrible at having worried his mum so much. The not-leaf was forgotten and he hugged his mother back.

"I'm sorry, mummy. I went into the forest and I got lost." He felt tears of his own fall down his face, shame filling him. His mother was always a terrible worrier. His father had told him to be careful, not because he thought he would hurt himself, but because his mother worried about him, and it would break her if he came home injured.

"Oh you silly boy, this is why we told you not to go in there." She was scolding him. James was so rarely scolded, and if he was, he knew it was because he'd worried his mother and father beyond their wits.

"It's okay," He said, trying to reassure her. "An Elf helped me get back." He watched as her concerned expression filled with confusion for a moment before she seemed to come to some kind of conclusion.

"Do you mean Pipper darling?" She lifted him up and began walking back towards the house. He looked up and shook his head vehemently.

"No, Pipper's a House-Elf, I mean an Elf!" He pouted when all he got was a confused expression from his mother. She must have decided to drop the subject because she didn't attempt to correct him again. The two reached the house and James' father came running out, worry printed on his face. Upon seeing James he relaxed, waving his wand and sending out a Patronus to inform the rest of the town that James had been found.

"Don't do that again James Potter." He said, his voice stern. James could see a small red mark forming on his father's cheek from where he'd rubbed it in worry, something the man did frequently. James wiggled out of his mother's arms and quickly hurried over to his father and hugged him. The boy was careful not to drop the small trinket in his hand as he did so, not wanting to lose the small thing. Briefly, he opened his eyes and looked over his father's shoulders, they widened slightly when he thought he saw the Elf in the distance. When he blinked, the figure was gone. James quickly forgot about it and focused on hugging his father until the man was patting him and complaining about the life being squeezed out of him.

-

A few days passed before James decided to try and go back into the forest. His parents had made sure someone was always with him to stop him from running off again. James thought it was stupid, but his parents wouldn't listen to anything he had to say. The leaf the Elf had given was tucked into the pocket of whatever pair of trousers he was wearing that day, and he'd never shown it to the other children. He was worried one of them would try and take it off of him as many children did. At night the leaf would release a small green glow that would somehow light up the whole room. It always brought a smile to James' face, and if he had a nightmare the soft light quickly calmed him down.

The boy had several dreams about the forest since the first day he'd gone in there. At first, he'd dreamt about the spiders, but then his dreams shifted to other creatures, some of which he didn't recognise from any books he'd read. This caused his curiosity to grow once more. He knew he couldn't go back to the forest while he had people were watching over him, so he had to wait.

It was a week later when the watch was finally lifted, and immediately James took off towards the forest once more. This time, he waited until the sun had almost set. The leaf was just beginning to glow and he hoped it would help him find his way around the forest the second time around. No going too far in, he reminded himself. Legolas might not be there this time to help him.

Cautiously James stepped up towards the tree line once more. He felt dread settle over him, but he ignored it. He wanted to explore. Holding the glowing leaf in hand, he strode into the trees, determined once more. Almost immediately, Legolas dropped from a tree and landed beside James. The boy startled, making a shocked sound. "I was wondering when you would be back." James grinned up at the Elf.

"Hello, Mr Greenleaf!" He chirped. The Elf held out his hand for the little boy to take, which he gladly did. The Elf began leading him into the forest. The glow from the leaf, as well as a soft golden glow of the forest that followed the Elf around, lit up their pathway.

"Êl síla erin lû e-govaned vîn," Legolas spoke in a language James wasn't familiar with, but he realised as he heard the melodious flow of the Elf's words that it must be his first language. While the younger didn't understand what was said, he found he loved the sound of the words falling from the Elf's lips. He giggled delightfully and desperately tried to say the words as well. Legolas didn't attempt to correct him, letting James speak circles around himself as the Elf led them further into the forest. The darkness seemed to shrink away from them as the forest seemed to grow brighter the further in they went. James turned his attention away from the words the Elf has said and to the lights that hung from lower branches, lighting up the ground and creating clear pathways through the trunks.

The boy looked around in amazement. "What is this place?" James asked, curious as to where the Elf was taking him. In hindsight, the boy shouldn't have trusted Legolas so quickly, but the Elf seemed to have a way of calming the distrust James had been encouraged to have around the few people he didn't know.

"This is New Hobbiton. The Hobbits are having a great feast tonight and I thought you might like to join us." Legolas looked down at James, a hopeful expression on his face. James grinned widely, excited at the prospect of being invited to a feast, although he didn't know what a Hobbit was.

"What is a Hobbit?" He inquired politely. He wasn't sure if that was a creature he was meant to know or not. Perhaps it was one of the magical creatures his mother taught him about in his lessons with her about his heritage.

"Hobbits are small creatures with tan skin, dark curly hair and rather large feet. They're incredibly kind and sometimes playful. I reckon the tallest of the Hobbits can't stand much taller than you. They live in holes dug into the hills known as Hobbit-Holes, but these holes aren't cold and wet like you would expect of a hole. I'm sure if you ask one nicely they will be happy to show you." James absorbed all of that information with glee. He'd never heard of a Hobbit before, and he doubted his mother had either. He could prove to her that he was smarter than her in his Care for Magical Creatures lessons. Legolas grinned at the skipping boy as they drew closer to the place where the kind creatures lived.

The two grew closer and closer, soon the sound of festivities filling their ears. James bounced along, not noticing how late it must be. Finally, they passed a line of trees to reveal a large area that was still dotted with trees, but far less than before. James could see mounds of hills covering the area and obscuring part of his view. Legolas led him between the hills and towards a cleared area with several long tables set up. James jumped with glee when he spotted the Hobbits all dancing around and making a lot of noise, singing and cheering.

The boy pulled the Elf along, into the crowd, cheering along despite not knowing the words to the songs or what they meant. He began trying to copy the dances, while Legolas fell in step with him, not looking nearly as clumsy as the seven-year-old. Indeed, most of the Hobbits were shorter than James, which made pride swell in the boy.

Many of them spoke with him, happy to greet him, although James didn't know the words they were speaking. He found he was fairly good as picking up on what the intent of their words were, based on their expressions. Legolas stuck beside him, translating the longer sentences for him so he could reply. Soon, the child found exhaustion catching up with him. Without any way of telling the time, he had no way of seeing how long it had been since he had left, but as he settled down into a chair, he found himself wishing for the comfort of a bed.

Legolas was still happily chatting with other Hobbits, conversing in their language which James vaguely recognised wasn't the same as the one Legolas had spoken previously. Someone dropped into the seat next to him, causing him to sit up a little straighter. He turned his attention away from the Elf to the older looking Hobbit. The Hobbit held out his hand, "Samwise Tolough. You must be young James Potter. His highness mentioned you might be coming tonight." James was shocked to hear the Hobbit speaking English, if slightly accented. He had been under the impression that no Hobbit spoke his language. Nonetheless, and not wanting to be rude, he shook the creature's hand.

"Yessir. It's nice to meet you." Samwise grinned and looked over the crowds of people dancing about.

"I must admit, I've never met a human before. I speak your language but Legolas is the only one in the forest who speaks it, so I've not had much use for it before. It was a lovely surprise to see you here." James grinned widely, happy to have someone to talk to other than Legolas. He pushed his tiredness aside for the moment, not wanting to seem rude. His mother would have a fit if she found out he was yawning while talking to an elder.

"I think you speak English wonderfully. Mum and dad said I should learn another language, because it makes you smarter, although I don't know how it can possibly do that." The creature grinned widely, a toothy grin that revealed slightly crooked teeth.

"Well if that's the case, then Legolas must be incredibly smart, although perhaps that isn't a stretch to think." A chuckle passed the Hobbit's lips.

"What do you mean?" James tilted his head to the side, curious as to what the Hobbit meant.

"Well, Legolas speaks all the languages of the people who live in this forest, but not only that, he speaks the languages of the Elves, creatures that haven't lived on Earth in a long time."

"But Legolas is an Elf, isn't he, so there must be other Elves living here?" The Hobbit gave James a sad smile as if there was terrible news he was about to share with him. James only ever saw that look once on his father's face when he'd been about to tell James that his Grandma had passed away.

"While that is true, yes, the Elves don't live here anymore. They all sailed to Valinor thousands of years ago. Legolas chose to stay behind and protect this forest from the humans that were slowly spreading across the lands and destroying the homes of the other races."

"Wouldn't that make Legolas thousands of years old as well? But mum and dad say that living forever is impossible." He looked back over at the youthful appearance of the Elf, wondering how the creature could be thousands of years old. Surely he would look like an old man, like the men in the village, if he was that old.

"Legolas is far older than all of us, but his exact age is unknown to many. Elves are immortal creatures, they can die in battle or fade away, but unless either of those things happens, they are destined to walk under the stars forever." There was a sad look on the creature's face. He too was looking at Legolas. James couldn't begin to understand what it must be like for Legolas. "Now then, I should be off. I've been told as the eldest of the townsfolk, it's my job to be nice and socialise. 'Tis a hard life." He pushed himself up onto a walking cane that James hadn't seen before and hobbled off before the boy could say goodbye.

After that, James wasn't entirely sure what happened for he quickly felt exhaustion wash over him and he slipped into a slumber. When he woke the next morning, he found himself back in his bed, dressed in the same clothes he'd worn the night before. The leaf he'd held onto so tightly was tied around his neck on a piece of string and in his arms was his favourite stuffed toy. A smile graced his lips and he slipped back to sleep despite the bright light filtering through his curtains, happy to be back in a bed. That night he dreamt of a glowing figure holding him close and whispering words he didn't recognise.

-

After that night with the Hobbits, James worried less about getting lost in the forest. Something in him clicked into place. When he wasn't at school or with family, the boy was in the forest. It didn't take long before people caught on. In a small village, someone was bound to find out eventually, but they couldn't do anything to stop him. Not even his parents, who'd swiftly been notified of his endeavours, could convince him to stay far away from the forest. Some days Legolas would be there to accompany him. Other times, James would run through the forest, a wide smile on his face. In those moments, he would hear things following him up in the trees, chattering away as he laughed at a butterfly that landed on his nose. The forest grew louder the longer James spent time there as if when he'd first walked through the dark it had been holding its breath and now it was releasing a huge sigh.

One day, James had a day off of school as the teacher was sick and couldn't come in, so he spent the whole day in the forest. He wandered further through the darkness with the little leaf lighting his way. He'd quickly learned that when he wanted to go home, the leaf would glow brighter when he was facing the correct way and lead him back in the direction he'd come. With that in mind, he went further than he'd ever had time to in the past.

As he skipped along, he wondered what he would find. Legolas hadn't taken him to see anyone else since the Hobbits, so he hoped he'd meet some people that hadn't been at the party that night. Even with that in mind, he hadn't expected to come across a wooden cabin seemingly in the middle of not a lot. James stopped. He'd learned that it was rude to go into a person's house without their permission. He wasn't about to break that lesson because he was curious about a cabin. He wondered if that was the place Legolas lived. "Can I help you, little one?" He was startled out of his musing when an old voice spoke from beside him. He spun and looked at the tall man who stood there. The man had a long, wispy beard and even longer, thinning, white hair tucked under a flopping brown, pointy hat. The man also wore long robes that seemed to be moth-bitten. In one hand he had a long cane that looked a little like a shepherd's stick, while under the other arm he had a basket filled with things James couldn't see from where he stood.

"Um. Are you the person who lives here?" James looked up curiously at the man. He looked human, much like Legolas did at first, but there was something off about the man; something that didn't quite sit right.

"I am, indeed. You must be the human young Greenleaf speaks so fondly of. Come, you can help me put these herbs away." James grinned widely upon hearing the man knew Legolas. He readily agreed to help the elder with his job, noting that he still had a while before he needed to get back. That was something James had gotten good at over time, telling the time without a pocket watch or sunlight. The two entered the cabin and James was pleasantly surprised to find it didn't look run down at all, unlike the exterior. The man led him into the kitchen and set the basket down on the table there. "My name is Radagast, what is yours, little one?" James climbed up onto one of the chairs and looked into the basket at the jars, and loose plants all tucked neatly into it.

"I'm James." He reached out and poked a funny looking plant.

"Careful with those, they have an odd tendency to blow up, and the after smell is rather horrendous." James nodded and retracted his fingers.

At Radagast's instruction, he plucked jars and plants from the basket and handed them to the old man to put away where they belonged. James grinned widely the entire time. Usually, he hated putting away the shopping with his mother, but he had no problems doing so for Radagast. The man spoke about random things while they put everything away. James didn't understand most of what he was saying, but he hoped one day he would. However, he was so caught up his accidentally grabbed the exploding plant. There was a loud pop and James threw his arms over his face at the bright flash.

There was silence for a moment before James' ears caught up and began ringing. slowly he lowered his arms and found Radagast looking at him with concern, a shield of golden light wrapped around the man. Slowly, James looked down at the basket and found it was mostly just charred, all of the contents were untouched. There was gunk splattered everywhere, and most likely on himself. "Ah." He looked up, finally able to hear the man. Shame flooded him once the shock had worn off. Radagast had told him to be careful and he'd been careless. The golden shield dropped and the man finally moved forward.

"I'm so sorry, Mr, I didn't mean to blow your plants up." James felt tears welling up inside of him, both from the shock and the shame.

"It's quite alright James. Although I must say, that was an exceptional shield charm." James looked up, startled by the man's kindness. As Radagast's words settled he realised that he was saying the shield was James' doing.

"I- I thought you did that shield?" He frowned, not understanding what Radagast meant. "That- that doesn't make any sense. I can't do magic yet."

"Yet. Who's to say you're not an early starter. I'd say I've not seen a shield that strong since Merlin." James gaped, wondering if the man was really as old as Merlin. "Now then, let's get this cleaned up before the smell clings to the whole kitchen. Come. We must be quick." James hopped down, noting he wasn't covered in gunk like he'd thought he would be. Maybe he had done the shield charm. As he hurried after Radagast to get cleaning supplies, he realised the man must be a wizard, for how else could he have known about magic.

"Are you a wizard?" He asked, just to be sure. He hated when he heard some of the less kind people in the village making presumptions about others, and James didn't want to be like them.

"Yes, although likely not in the way you're asking. Human wizards and I are two very different things." James pulled a confused face which earned him a chuckle from the wizard. "I'm a Maiar, one of the Ainur. I was a wizard long before humans could use magic." He chuckled as if thinking of some old joke. James was looking at the man in awe. He must be really old if he was around before human's had magic. To James, he'd thought humans had always had magic.

"So you're a wizard because you're a Maiar, so do you call human wizards something else, to not confuse you?" James tilted his head to the side as he took a cloth and small bowl that Radagast filled with warm, soapy water with a wave of his hand and no incantation.

"Well, Legolas calls you Magi, for he knows the other wizards as well as me. I suppose I refer to you as the same." James nodded along and carefully carried the bowl of water back to the kitchen. When they entered, James realised how the smell had built in the time they'd been gone. He scrunched his face up in disgust. It was like food that had gone off mixed with something worse James didn't have a name for yet. Radagast pulled a face as well, chuckling despite it.

The two got to work cleaning everything up, happy they didn't need to wash as well. By the time they were done, it was nearing dinner time. James didn't want to leave, but he knew his mother and father would be getting worried if he wasn't home on time. "Go on, little one. You should be getting on now. Please, come back any time." James nodded and hugged the old wizard before skipping out of the cabin, waving goodbye to the new friend he'd made. Radagast stood in his doorway and a warm smile on his face as he watched James vanish into the trees. "I'm glad you made me make that charm. I would hate to see him getting lost in the forest all on his own." Radagast said, seemingly to himself.

"He's adorable, isn't he?" Legolas was lounging up in a tree, his circlet balanced on the tip of his finger. The Elf looked down at the Maiar and grinned. "I haven't come across anyone that would wish him harm yet, although perhaps we shouldn't 'hedge our bets' with the trolls." He had an easy smile on his face. Radagast laughed heartedly. The wizard settled on a swinging chair on the cabin's porch that hadn't been there a moment before.

"No, perhaps not. James is truly something special. I presume you saw that shield. I wasn't joking when I said I hadn't seen something that powerful since Merlin. For accidental magic in a seven-year-old, it was incredible." Legolas dropped his smile and frowned. He nodded solemnly.

"Maybe you could train him. Magic that powerful would be better taught younger. It could corrupt him otherwise." Legolas had worry laced in his voice. It had been a long time since he had cared to strongly for someone. Radagast smiled sadly at the prince of the forest.

"Fret not, hir-en. I was planning to do that anyway. It is more a question of when I shall next see him." Legolas nodded and took his circlet in hand, looking down at it with worry laced into his expression. He didn't want to see harm come to the boy he'd grown so attached to in such a short time.


	2. Trust and Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> English - "[normal]"  
> Sindarin - "[ _italics_ ]"
> 
> The only times Sindarin won't be in italics is when the phrases are shorter, as I can easily translate them. I'm working on coding my own translator to be able to find words easier, but that'll take some time (time that I currently don't have a lot of)
> 
> Enjoy the new chapter. It's longer than the last, although I didn't intend it to be. I got carried away and decided to cut off at one point where it seemed reasonable to cut off before I got too ahead of myself and the chapter ended up being over 10,000 words long.

Snow fell through the leaves of the thick canopy dusting the ground in white. Radagast's cabin was cleared of snow around the perimeter, apart from a single snowman stacked in front of the porch. The wizard himself was settled onto a swinging chair with a steaming cup of herbal tea in hand. There was peace in the small clearing; the birds had all flown south for the winter to the trees lay bare of sound. Radagast was waiting, watching the trees for movement.

After a few more minutes of sitting in the chilling weather, he finally spotted what he'd been waiting for. Down a small trodden pathway came the sound of hooves trotting along frozen mud. James came through the trees riding on the back of a caramel-coloured stallion. Radagast stood up and greeted the boy. He was still young, turning nine the next spring. His hair was messy and his parents had bought him a pair of glasses from somewhere beyond the village, a thin-rimmed circular pair.

James hopped down from his horse, grinning widely as he bowed and greeted Radagast. "Gi Suilon!" (I greet you). James had been learning Sindarin with Legolas and his young mind had swiftly picked up on the intricacies of the language. Radagast bowed back and returned the greeting.

"Mae G'ovennan!" (Well met).

Radagast helped James bring his stallion into a small paddock behind the cabin. There was one horse in there already, a spotted mare of brown and white. There were three stables. "Where is Legolas' horse? Is he out?"

"Greenleaf visits his family during the winter months biannually. He will be back before the end of February, so do not fret little one." James scrunched his face up in confusion, having not realised that Legolas had family overseas.

"Do you think I could go with Legolas one day to meet them?" Radagast smiled down at the curious boy, in wonder at how pure he was. The two made their way back to the front of the house and inside before Radagast replied.

"You can ask, but I don't think he'll take you without permission from your parents. However, you must understand that Valinor is not a place one can simply go to. Only Elven ships can sail there, for old magic must be used to pass through the barrier between the realms in which our two worlds exist." The two settled down in armchairs, James waving his hand so an already steaming cup of tea floated up from the table into his grip.

Radagast was always impressed with the improvements James made to his magic. He was incredibly powerful for his age, able to use magic without the need of a wand, like most Magi. Levitation and shield charms were most of the extent of what James could do at that point, but still being able to do any of it at all was impressive. "How long does it take to get there?" James took a sip of his tea, humming in satisfaction at the taste. There was a simple smile on his face, one that seemed to always be there permanently.

"I've never been, however, I cannot imagine it takes very long, all that is required is sailing until you can no longer see the shoreline and passing through the wards. That is why only Elven ships can sail." Radagast began waving his hand, the embers of the lit fireplace flowing up and moving to form pictures of great swan-shaped ships sailing away from shorelines and into the distance. James watched, enraptured by the display of magic and what it was depicting. Radagast spent the rest of the morning telling James about the stories he'd heard about Valinor. He was worried, for the tales he told only seemed to fuel the boy's desire to go there. He imagined the Elves wouldn't be too welcoming of the human, but perhaps their peaceful lifestyle would make them more forthcoming.

"I'll definitely ask mum if I can go when I get back!" James had a look of determination on his face that struck Radagast down to his core. He'd seen looks like that on people's faces before, right before they went off to battle and never returned. He worried a little more. However, he remembered those few times he'd seen such determination on warriors who were still remembered to this day outside the forest. Merlin and Arthur Pendragon being two of the most determined people he'd ever met. He thought back to before he'd become a reclusive Wizard, thought of all the kings and queens he'd witnessed emerging from battles victorious due to their sheer force of will. He smiled and nodded to the boy, agreeing that he could ask his parents. He realised that James was like those kings and queens, there wasn't anything in the world that could stop him from doing what he desired to do.

-

Euphemia stood looking out over the village from the window of the cottage. She could see the forest looming over the small area with tall trees followed by a vast blackness that kept everyone away. She could see a black horse grazing on her lawn, stirring clear of the flowerbeds. A frown formed upon her lips as she turned back to the room. It was something similar to a drawing-room, the formal living-room as she often referred to it as. Sat in one of the sofas, looking back at her was a creature. She hadn't believed her eyes when he'd shown up at her door, asking to speak with her. His silky long hair was tied back in a ponytail, and he was wearing gear for travelling as if he intended to leave on a journey once the meeting was over. "You wish to take James with you to someplace overseas, a place I've never heard of before? Why should I trust you with my son?" Euphemia was mostly a quiet woman, allowing her husband to do the talking in decision making, but this creature had come specifically to her.

"Yes. I think it would be great for him to have the opportunity to meet my people, much like he has met the inhabitants of the forest. Valinor is not far in physical distance, but it does require crossing the bridge between realms, not that it will bring James any harm to do so." He sat forward from his straight posture, relaxing his figure. In the light of the room, Euphemia could see that he was incredibly handsome. He was positively inhuman, with sharp cheeks and glowing eyes.

"And how can I know this isn't some ruse for you to take him away from me forever?" At that the creature, an Elf as he had introduced himself, stood and strode over to her, holding out his hand.

"Unbreakable vows are similar to a kind of magic Elves use to seal agreements. When I make a swear, I must hold it true, for if I do not, my soul will shatter. Understand the gravity of that, for it is my soul that keeps magic flourishing in this world. Without it, nature will be forced to find another way to create balance, and I cannot guarantee humans will live to see the other side. So, Euphemia Potter, I swear to you, I will bring your son back safe if you allow me to sail him across the ocean to Valinor." She looked up at his stern expression. He was serious; not a word of what he had spoken was false. She didn't know how she knew that, but she did, and more often than not, a woman knew to trust her instincts when it came to their child.

"I trust you, but to be sure, allow an unbreakable vow to be made." He nodded, his hand still held out, and she realised that it was what he'd intended to do in the first place. A swear of Elvish loyalty, and a swear of death if broken. She took his hand and raised her wand with her free hand. "Do you, Elf-"

"Prince Legolas Thranduilion Greenleaf." She blanched a moment at the revelation of him being a prince, but quickly schooled her expression.

"Do you, Prince Legolas Thranduilion Greenleaf, swear to protect my son, James Potter, and bring him home safe from Valinor?"

"I do." He met her eyes, a strange haunted look in those pearly blues, passing almost too quick for her to realise.

"Then by the power vested in me, as a Wizard of England, should you break this vow, your soul shall be shattered even if it risks the destruction of magic in this world." Her words seemed to echo around the room, flowing with power. Legolas nodded once more, barely flinching at the burning tendrils of magic that formed around his wrist, brandishing his skin to seal the unbreakable vow.

Their hands parted grips, and the two stared at each other for a moment. Then, much to Euphemia's shock, Legolas kneeled down before her, his head dipped. "Hiril vuin,av-'osto."(My lady, do not fear) Somehow, despite the language not being familiar to her, she knew he was consoling her concerned. She could hear the gentle tone of his voice and felt the wave of relief wash over her. She trusted the Elf before her, for he had sworn to protect James no matter what. She let a shaky smile fall onto her face. The two settled back onto the sofa.

"When will you be leaving?" Euphemia looked across the sofa at the Elf. She took the moments between his answers to look him over. Of course, she already knew what he looked like, but before she'd been so worried she hadn't taken the time to really look at him. There was an ancient sadness in his eyes as if they'd seen too many horrors. However, despite that, his lips were quirked up into a small smile. The way he held himself, now she knew he was a prince she could see it, it screamed royalty. Even as he relaxed back on the sofa his head was tilted up slightly, and his shoulders were squared.

"If it is as you wish, when James returns from his day in the forest," Legolas spoke in a soft voice, one that jutted when he spoke, as if we wasn't used to making such short sounds. The words he'd said before had sounded as if they belonged in a song, so perhaps he was more used to speaking like that. Euphemia didn't know, but she could suddenly understand her son's infatuation with the Elf.

"That is alright. If I may be excused, James has never left this village and wouldn't know what to pack." Legolas stood and bowed. Euphemia took that as her escape from the room. And flee she did.

Her footsteps were hurried up the stairs to her son's room. It was in a perpetually chaotically clean state. Everything was where it should be, but none of it was neat, giving the place an empty, yet messy feel. It was odd, but so was her son in many respects. It suited him perfectly. There was a window that stood at one end of the room, it was small and had a lock on it that Fleamont had constructed without magic with the intent of keeping James from falling out.

The walls were decorated with drawings that James did when he was younger. Underneath there was the wallpaper that flowed with magic, moving pictures of animals that became more detailed as James grew older. It was an amazing charm that had taken both Euphemia and Fleamont a week to create. The bed tucked into the corner of the room was a single, wooden-framed bed, with a duvet decorated with stars that flew across the covers. It was his room, perfect to the last detail, and Euphemia knew she could never even attempt to touch it and clean it, for the boy would know immediately and mess it up again.

She began opening drawers, looking for clothes to pack into a suitcase for the boy to take with him. As she was rummaging, she found a small set of dress robes. A grin flittered across her face. James hated dress robes and wearing them, but if Legolas was a prince, then he would be with kings and queens in Valinor. He would need to dress smart. She pulled them out and began folding them neatly before placing them on the bed.

Euphemia got lost in her own mind, thinking about what Valinor was like, wondering if it was a kind place. she was so distracted with folding and thinking that she didn't hear someone coming up the stairs. It wasn't until she was zipping up the suitcase she'd packed full of clothes and shoes that she realised. A pair of eyes glancing at her back. She straightened up and smiled, recognising the gaze. "So that Elf was telling the truth then?" She turned and moved across the room to Fleamont.

Her husband had a fresh set of bruises lining his jaw and one decorating his eye. She shushed him when he winced as she reached up to touch the purpling skin. "Yes." She breathed out. Fleamont was a good father, but this kind of thing wasn't anything she'd had to deal with before, so she had no idea how he would react.

"You made an unbreakable vow with him." It wasn't a question. Euphemia could feel the sadness rolling off of him. A smile graced her lips once more, kind and warming to soothe his angst. With the hand on the not bruised side of his face, she ran her thumb across his cheekbone.

"I did. I needed to know James would be protected. You know as well as I do that as soon as James finds out that his friend is leaving he'll want to follow on. It will only be for a little while. A few weeks over there, then Legolas will bring him back." She pressed her forehead into his, smiling gently. Fleamont returned the smile, pushing his head back into her's, not unlike a cat. The two remained there for a moment, embracing each other, letting the almost tangible love flow between them.

It took them both all of their strength to pull away and head back down to the living room. Legolas was still sat there, a book in hand. Neither of them could tell if he was really reading the book. The Elf looked up when they entered, giving them both a polite smile that the parents gladly returned.

Quite a bit of time must have passed since Euphemia had moved upstairs, as James came running through the back door, a wide grin on his face not a moment after Legolas stood up to shake Fleamont's hand. "Legolas!" The boy cried, jumping towards the prince. Legolas gave the boy a wide, happy smile and scooped him up into his arms.

"Gi Suilon, gwinig!" Once again, Euphemia was struck to the bone with how beautiful the Elf's voice sounded as he sang out the words of another language.

"Le car-si mandha?" (What are you doing here?) James looked up at the Elf, seeming confused as to why the Elf was there, although Euphemia couldn't tell what they were discussing.

"I asked if you could come with me to Valinor. Would you like to?" James grinned widely, burying his face into Legolas' chest.

"Yes please!" Legolas nodded and set the boy down before pushing him gently toward Euphemia and Fleamont. The two parents crouched down and opened their arms for James. The small boy grinned even wider and jumped into their arms, thanking them. Euphemia knew why Legolas was taking him with him. She thought idly, that the Elf was amazing with James, and even if she didn't know him, she would trust him to protect James no matter what. Legolas wanted to share his world with the curious boy who'd broken the one rule of the village to go into a forest. If the Elves of Valinor were anything like Legolas, she had no problem with him going.

-

The horse beneath James was a black mare with thick legs, for travelling long distances. His suitcase was strapped to the sadle and Legolas was settled behind him holding the reins. His mother and father were both stood in the doorway of their cottage with sad, but joyful looks on their faces. James paid it no mind as he shifted, trying to get comfortable for the journey ahead of them. Legolas was saying something to them, but the Elf had covered James' ears so he couldn't hear what was being passed between them. After a minute, his ears were uncovered and his mother and father stepped forward to kiss him goodbye.

They started off with a slow trot, leaving the village via a road James didn't know existed. His eyes widened as they passed the familiar fields. A smile spread across his face as he watched the trees of the forest pass beside them. The sun was still high in the sky above them, shining down on them. He could imagine Legolas was glowing even brighter than before behind him, reflecting the sunlight in the form of pure power.

Travelling across the country, James took in all of the sights, amazed by the countryside. The horse mostly avoided streets and places that were heavily populated. Only once or twice during the three days they travelled, did they ride the horse along a road with cars whizzing past them. When they did, James would watch them with wonder, having not seen many cars before, spending most of his time in a small village where moving about via vehicle wasn't necessary.

Legolas spoke about travels he'd been on before, how over the centuries landscapes had changed and he'd been forced to redirect himself in order to get to the shores. Occasionally, James would talk about something he thought was funny or interesting. Whenever he did, the Elf would listen with vigour, all too happy to listen to the young Human chatter away about anything. James was particularly interested when Legolas mentioned that the sea levels had risen dramatically since the time when Elves lived in England.

The two would set up small camps in out of the way areas, a campfire between them, sharing some food from Legolas' satchel. James thought it was brilliant. He wished he could travel with Legolas forever, but he feared that one day he would run out of things to say. Instead, he spent the time wondering how many stories he could tell before they reached the seaside and set sail to Valinor. And tell as many stories as he could, he did. In the end, the result was twenty.

The Elf and the Human arrived at the seaside three days after they left. James was feeling as though he never wanted to ride a horse again, while Legolas looked as if he'd never spent a day riding. The walk down the cliffside was slow, James too tired from sitting on a horse for days to walk much faster than a small meander. There was a small beach at the bottom of the cliff that no one could see from the top. The only reason Legolas knew it was there was because he had watched it form over hundreds of years.

That beach was where they would sail from. As they reached the bottom, James grinned widely, despite his exhaustion, when he saw the small beach and massive adjoining cave. Inside the cave was a boat. His jaw dropped as he saw the size of it. "How are we going to sail that?" He inquired, wondering if it was even possible. Legolas placed a hand on the back of the young boy and guided him into the cave. Neither of them worried for the rock above falling on them. There, tucked in a place James hadn't seen before was a small boat. He relaxed a little at seeing it, although perhaps he shouldn't. He'd never sailed before, and he had no idea what would happen.

"When we sail, gwinig, I need you to be really quiet for me. Can you do that?" James nodded his head, placed a finger to the corner of his lip and running it across the seal, mimicking sealing his lips. Legolas smiled in gratitude. "Now then, I'll get the boat into the water, you wait here with the things." James obediently dropped to the sandy ground, crossing his legs and reaching out to place a hand on his trunk and the other on Legolas' bag. The Elf grinned in amusement and made his way over to the boat.

It took almost half an hour for Legolas to get the boat into the water. All the time, James kept his distance, occasionally asking questions, because Legolas had only mentioned not speaking while they were sailing and they weren't on the boat yet. They were simple questions, although not easy ones to answer. Even still, Legolas spoke with ease no matter how difficult the reply was. James wondered how many people had asked the questions that Legolas was able to answer them without hesitation. He wondered how old the immortal Elf was that he could know the response to every question in the world. So James asked.

"I am older than many a thing. However, you will find I am one of the younger Elves of the Third Age. I am older than most trees but not as old as the ocean. I forget the number. Perhaps I needn't know the number." It was a confusing reply, and James wasn't entirely sure he knew what it meant, but he noticed that once more the Elf spoke in confidence. He wasn't sure if it was a response Legolas gave often, but James could tell he had thought about it before. He smiled widely and hopped up from the floor to bring the bags over to the Elf who'd finally managed to stop the boat from floating away.

The two of them loaded their bags into the boat and climbed. James found it was much harder to get into a boat than to climb onto a horse. It kept rocking on the water beneath it, and more often than not, it tried to slip out from underneath his feet. Eventually, he managed to climb into the boat, swiftly followed by the Elf. The graceful creature managed to get into the boat much easier than the young boy, pushing the boat away from the shore and launching himself over the side into the rocking wooden bowl.

James settled down, unknowing of what was involved in sailing. Legolas had asked him to be quiet, and James didn't understand, but he knew it held some purpose. As he watched the Elf lower the sail and cast a small enchantment to encourage the wind into the material, he noticed the way Legolas kept his head tilted to the side, as if he was listening to something that was too quiet for James to hear. He focused, wondering what it might be that Legolas was listening for. 

In the silence, the only sounds being that of the water lapping at the sides of the boat, James was able to pick out a faint sound. He squinted, despite knowing it wouldn't help him hear it better. He didn't notice the way Legolas glanced at him. As they moved further from the shore, James found it was a little easier to hear. It sounded like music, but he couldn't be sure. Perhaps it was the singing of the fish below the surface.

Carefully, the boy shifted to look over the edge of the boat but looking down only revealed the black depths of the ocean. The daunting abyss made the Magi feel queasy so he settled back into his original position.

Looking back, James saw that the shoreline they'd left from was almost out of view. It must have been a few hours since they'd left. How had so much time passed? Was he so focused on trying to hear the faint melody that he hadn't noticed the passing of time? He watched the top of the cliffs dip below the line between ocean and sky with a grin. It was the furthest he'd ever been from England, having never travelled across the world before.

Turning, he was startled to see the shoreline of another place before them. He closed his eyes for a moment, wondering if the tune he'd heard before came from the lands they were travelling to, but no longer could he hear it, no matter how much he tried to focus on the notes. He peered over the edge of the boat once more, and suddenly he could see deep down, able to spot creatures swimming along in the waters. A grin split across his face. "Did you hear it?" He looked up to see Legolas had settled down at the other end of the boat.

"Hear what?" He tipped his head to the side, much like the Elf had done when they'd left.

"The song of the gulls. You looked as though you could hear it." The Elf had confusion written all over his face, a look James hadn't seen on his face before.

"You mean that melody thingy? It was really quiet, but I could kind of hear it if I sat really still." Legolas nodded, although there was no change to his expression. His eyebrows were furrowed and his lips were in a straight line. James wondered if he'd said the wrong thing.

"I've never met a human who could hear it, no matter how quiet." He rested his chin in the palm of his hand, looking contemplative. "All Elves can hear it. It is what eventually leads us to move west to the Undying Lands, but I don't hear it as well as the other Elves, so I wasn't compelled to move. The song of trees was always much louder for me. Still, I miss my family, which is why I travel here to see them when I can." James nodded in understanding, glancing over the Elf's shoulder at the rising shoreline behind him. It didn't look anything like the shores of England. He knew that was because it was another place, but there was something different about the lands.

"How comes no one knows this place is here? It's so close." Legolas chuckled and nodded, likely having expected the question.

"The Undying Lands are neither close nor far from anywhere. They exist in a different realm, one that only those sailing with immortals can reach. I know many a friend who has sailed to these shores to live out their mortal lives in peace. You are the first human I've sailed with to these shores." James knew his jaw was hanging down in amazement. A different realm full of immortal people? James was even more excited to meet everyone.

-

The shores of the Undying Lands were quiet. Sea Elves had set up residence on the coastlines, protecting them despite there being no threats of invaders. It was always rare to see someone sailing towards their shores, let alone away. However, since all of the Eldar had moved to the lands, there had been only one ship that sailed back and forth from the Undying Lands. It was a small, single-person sailing boat and upon it was an Elf. Throughout the thousands of years, the boat had come and gone, the single Elf coming and going as he pleased. Many of the Sea Elves knew the Elf by name, and even more, knew his boat. So seeing it coming over the horizon was unsurprising for them.

What was surprising was when it docked. The Elves looked down from their alcoves hanging over the cliff edges, spotting the blonde Wood Elf, and almost screamed with joy when they saw the second figure climbing out of the boat with him. It was rare that the island-people got to meet new people. Legolas never bought friends with him. The younger Elves went running down to the beach where the boat was moored, while the elders followed behind with less pace in their steps. It came to them in shock that the person sailing with the Elf was a human child. The boy had messy brown hair and large round glasses. He was adorable.

The older Elves began working on moving the boat into the boat shed, while the youngers fawned over Legolas and the young child. One of the older Elves stepped up to Legolas. " _Your Highness. It's lovely to see you here again. I presume you will be wanting a carriage to Valinor?_ "

" _Thank you, Sire. We will if you would be so kind._ " The King of the Sea Elves bowed to Legolas, nodding in understanding. The Elf was there to see his father, who was living in the Elven city of Valinor with Lord Elrond. He was curious about the little Human with the Elf.

" _And what of the boy? Will he be accompanying you?_ " He didn't mean it to be rude, although perhaps the wording could have been different. It had been a long time since he'd had to watch his tone with other royalty. Thankfully, Legolas didn't seem to notice, probably used to the brash rudeness of the Dwarves he'd allowed to live in the Mirkwood castle.

" _He will be coming with me, yes. That will not be a problem, will it?_ " The King shook his head, giving the prince a warm smile. Legolas returned it and crouched next to the boy, speaking in the Human tongue. He had learnt a small amount of the language from Thranduil and was able to catch on that Legolas was introducing him.

" _Hello, King Olwe. It is lovely to meet you._ " He was startled at the Sindarin the boy spoke. He hadn't expected the small Human to know any of the Elvish languages, however, he was impressed by the skill he showed. It wasn't perfect, and the boy had mispronounced his name, but it was nonetheless extraordinary. " _I'm James Potter. Legolas says I have to tell you my name?_ " Legolas somehow managed to keep a straight face, although Olwe didn't miss the flash of something in the eyes of the archer that told him the prince was caught out. He smiled and crouched in front of the boy, something he rarely did for those of lesser importance than him.

" _Yes, little one. It is customary in Elvish culture to introduce oneself to a new Elf. Legolas was right, and might I suggest you keep it in mind for when you meet others._ " The little one grinned and nodded after a moment, likely using the pause to translate what Olwe had said. The King smiled and stood once more. " _I shall have one of my soldiers arrange a carriage. In the meantime, please take the time to show the little one around our city._ " He directed towards Legolas, bowing once more to the prince of the woodland realm.

" _Thank you greatly. I'm sure James will be delighted to see the ocean-side city._ " Olwe watched as the prince took the young Human's hand and led him away from the Elves and towards the steps that were carefully carved up the side of the cliff-edge. As he watched the young boy walk away he felt a strange sense of sadness. He could not understand how such a happy young man could make the King feel such sadness.

-

The Sea-Elves' city was partially in the cliffs while the rest of it was farmland on the surface. Each house was carefully carved out and held in place with strong structural pillars that looked to be made of obsidian. The pathways between houses were trodden with footsteps and hoofprints. As Legolas led James through the place, he pointed out the different buildings that housed friends of Legolas'. James was practically vibrating with joy. He had tried to run ahead but had been stopped by the prince before he could run in front of a carriage being pulled by a horse.

The two of them stayed together, weaving between people, and making their way towards the heart of the city, where the council hall resided alongside the King's stone-carved house. The closer they got to the heart of the city, the more extravagant the buildings became. Light filtered in around them from the cliff sides and from the few holes dug into the ceiling to allow birds to fly in and out.

The council hall was in the head of the middle of the cliffside that was the city. It stuck out over the shoreline below and out into the sea. The space was large and open, with the top of the cliff-hanging over it, and pillars of the dark, obsidian-like stone positioned around the edge to prevent it collapsing. There was a circle carved into the floor, and a strange symbol James didn't recognise in the middle of it. "That is the house of the King's crest. Every Elven King or Queen has one." Legolas spoke to him softly, barely needing to raise his voice above a whisper as it echoed around the room, amplifying the volume.

"What if a different family becomes King or Queen?" They stood on the edge of the circle, looking out at the sea from which they'd sailed in on. The sun was glistening off the surface, making it look like fluid crystals.

"The ruler of a nation is not chosen by blood, but instead by might. Olwe was chosen by the Elves of this city to be their leader because he was the strongest and oldest of them. He has fought in wars, and they are confident he could make the decisions if there was another one. That is why he was chosen, and upon doing so, he adopted the family crest of royalty. The crest is not like Magi pureblood families. Anyone can take it so long as they deserve it, and anyone can be adopted under it if they are seen as worthy." James looked up at the Elf and thought, wondering how any of that made sense, but in a way, it made perfect sense. Legolas led him over the circle to the edge of the room, and the two of them settled down on the floor, with their feet hanging over the edge of the cliff.

"So any person could have an Elven family crest so long as whoever is in charge says so?" He looked up again and saw the nod Legolas gave him. The two of them shared smiles before looking back out over the ocean. It was a beautiful sight, and James could see why an entire group of people would want to live there. Although he had to admit, he much preferred the forest, because it was full of such mystery.

Someone came up behind them, barely making any sound, but Legolas seemed to notice and turned to greet whoever it was. James turned as the two began speaking in Sindarin faster than he could keep up. They exchanged a few words, then Legolas stood, holding out a hand for James to take. "Come gwinig, the carriage is ready, and we can ride to Valinor now." James took the Elf's hand, expecting to be pulled up, but instead being swung up onto his back. James let out a small squeak, before wrapping his arms around Legolas' shoulders and holding on as the Elf tucked his hands under James' thighs. A grin split across his face, and the boy giggled loudly.

The pathway up to the top of the cliff was a spiral staircase, carved into the centre-most pillar of the city. It was a giant block of uncarved stone surrounded by obsidian supports. The staircase ran on the inside of the supports, and James ran his fingers over the cool, smooth surface as they passed each one on their way up. The Elf leading them was talking quickly to Legolas about something. James tried to follow it, but he was only able to catch a few words, none of them giving away what they were talking about.

Breaking the surface and looking back, James could see all the way to the bottom and almost felt queasy from how far up they were. Legolas placed him down on the lush, green grass and finally, James noticed that in front of them was a carriage, unlike anything he'd seen before. The thing seemed to be an orb of glass with plants growing around it, climbing up to the top and falling back down. There were flowers all over it of varying different colour. Legolas stepped up to it, his fingers instinctively brushing along the plants in a way James had seen the Elf do before.

The two of them climbed up into the carriage, it didn't rock like the boat did, and settled down on the plush seating. The cushions were a soft green colour embroidered with more flowers. Legolas seemed completely at ease inside the space, and James found himself relaxing as well. There was a small content smile on the young boy's face, as he leaned up against the Elf and closed his eyes. He promised himself he wouldn't fall asleep, but when the prince began singing a soft lullaby he quickly found himself drifting off.

-

When James awoke again, it was as the carriage pulled to a stop. He sat up and looked around. Outside the carriage, there were large fields of green and houses made of wood dotted around. "We will have to walk from here, gwinig." Legolas spoke softly, aware that the boy had just woken. In James' sleep-fogged mind, it took him a moment to get out of the carriage. The air outside was warm and gentle on his face. He blinked, thinking about how he could fall asleep again on his feet in the warmth surrounding him.

Vaguely he was aware of someone picking him up. "You need to be awake gwinig, or else you'll miss the city." James opened his eyes, unaware of closing them, and looked around. The carriage wasn't in sight anymore, and in the distance, James could faintly hear singing. "It's just over the brow of this hill, but you can't see it until you're over." James squirmed, wanting to get down and run to see it immediately. Legolas chuckled and placed the boy back on the ground. The Magi felt more awake than he had since they'd arrived, and he was grinning widely as he took off running towards the top of the hill.

He reached the top and looked down the other side with a wide grin. A sharp gasp left his lips as he looked down at the city below him. Wind whipped past him, seemingly racing towards the city as well. He looked back over his shoulder to see Legolas wasn't too far behind him. Looking back he took in the sight once more.

The city was huge, with houses and towers spread out across the large valley it resided in. There were giant birds soaring over the rooftops, and voices rose up to the hill he stood on. The city seemed to be separated into three sections, the outermost being full of houses and towers, the innermost holding a large green area. Every house and building seemed to be different, dome-roofs, pointed-roofs and slanted roofs all mashed together in a seemingly random pattern. The only similar thing about them was that they all seemed to be white or golden.

Legolas joined James at the top of the hill, his bag thrown over his shoulder, and James' suitcase being pulled behind him. "It's really pretty." James breathed out, amazed at the sight.

"That is Valinor, the capital of these lands. It is considered one of the most beautiful cities. Shall we go?" James was gaping by the end of it, his mouth stretched into a wide grin and he nodded immediately. He took off down the hill, hearing Legolas calling after him of being careful and to wait before entering the city. James paid it mostly no mind as he hurried along the grass to the bottom. He was laughing and whooping with glee. As he drew closer and closer, the city seemed to grow in size until he stood before it, the walls of the outer city standing intimidatingly in front of him. He skidded to a halt, remembering Legolas' words to wait.

The Elf seemed to join James much too late, the walls seeming more intimidating the longer James stood there on his own. "Are you ready?" James took a deep breath, readying himself and forcing the fear that clogged the back of his throat down into his gut.

"Yeah." He said, his voice unwavering and confident. Legolas once again took his hand and led him into the city.

-

The green area in the middle of Valinor was partially a forest and partially a stretch of grass often called the park. Many of the Wood Elves had small areas in the trees where they could go to be closer to nature. One such area was the place Thranduil, king of The Great Greenwood forest, went to get away from the city noise. It was a tall tree with a wooden house built up in the branches, the inside decorated with things he'd brought over from Middle-Earth. He was wearing his comfortable robes, reading a book while tucked neatly into an armchair, his feet off the ground and tucked underneath him. There was nothing but serene silence and the occasional rustle of paper as he turned a page.

The tree's leaves that came in through the open windows rustled with whispering laughter, a sound Thranduil hadn't heard in some time. It was distinct laughter that the trees only made when his son was in their presence. The king put his book down on the stone table beside the armchair and looked to the open hatch.

A head of brown hair came through first, followed by the head and body of a young-looking boy wearing round glasses. Thranduil raised an eyebrow but didn't react, looking to the boy who turned back towards the hatch and peered down. Not a moment later, Legolas popped up through the hatch, a wide grin on his face. Thranduil smiled, feeling warmth bloom in his chest at the sight of his son who had the face of his late wife.

The prince dusted himself off and turned to the armchair where Thranduil remained sat. "Ada." There was a hush to his voice, much like all years before. Relief that his father was still there, still alive and well. "Ada!" He came forward with great speed, and Thranduil, expecting it, opened his arms and embraced the elfling.

" _Hello my son. It is good to see you are well._ " Legolas buried his face into Thranduil's neck, unwilling to let go. The king took the moment to look over to the boy who was now standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. " _And who is your friend, little-one?_ " That made Legolas pull away, smiling widely. Thranduil found he missed the feel of his son in his arms and reached out to hold him beside him. Legolas allowed it to happen, gesturing the boy over.

"Come on over, gwinig." The boy stepped up to the chair, politely smiling at Thranduil.

" _Hello. I'm James. Are you Legolas' dad?_ " Legolas wrapped an arm around the boy, gently tugging him into Thranduil's line of sight. The king smiled and leaned forward slightly, inspecting the child closer. He could see the slight imperfections on the boy's face. There was a small scar on his forehead, likely from falling over. The boy also wore round glasses with thick glass that made his eyes look disproportionate to the rest of his face.

"That I am. It is lovely to meet you. Now, tell me," Thranduil looked up at Legolas as directed his words to his son. "How is my forest and the creatures living there? I hear the Spiders have finally come to a truce."

"All is well, Ada. The Spiders have indeed settled their dispute with the rest of the council, and the Dwarves have opened more trade deals with the Goblins. Hopefully, I'm hoping I can encourage a few more Hobbits to join us to keep the peace between the gold-mining communities." Thranduil nodded, understanding all of what Legolas spoke of. The two exchanged a few words in letters over the time when Legolas was in Mirkwood. They rarely spoke of politics in them, only passing comments about some council member that was being insufferable. Thranduil was always interested to hear how well his son was commanding his kingdom now that it was shared by all of the magical creatures.

"That is good. James, would you like to hear a story?" James looked startled at being addressed once more but quickly agreed, looking excited. Thranduil wondered how many stories Legolas had shared with the boy. He was yet too young to hear the story of The War of The Ring. Legolas climbed onto the back of Thranduil's armchair, placing his legs on the right of the king's shoulders. Thranduil wrapped an arm around his son's legs, not fearing that he would fall back, but simply for the reassurance. He then pet his lap for James to climb up as well, so he could tell the story. The boy hesitated for a moment, looking up at Legolas for conformation, then climbed up. Thranduil guessed that the boy had received a nod from his son.

James settled into Thranduil's lap, curling up small and looking up at the Woodland King with wide eyes. There was a warmth in Thranduil's heart that he only remembered feeling once before when he held Legolas in his arms. He smiled down at the small boy and began to tell his tale.

-

For the first week that James spent in Valinor, he spent the entire time with Legolas and Thranduil, touring the city and all of the amazing buildings, each with their own unique design. James was in awe at the sight of it all, constantly asking questions about everything. Thranduil had taken to the boy much faster than Legolas had expected, answering all of his questions with as much enthusiasm as they were asked. Legolas was keen to enjoy the time he got to spend with his father, having missed his Ada greatly in his two-years in Middle-Earth.

Lord Elrond came to Valinor during their second week. His English wasn't as good as Legolas and Thranduil's but he spoke Sindarin slowly enough for James to keep up with most of it. This meant that Elrond quickly fell into the trap of James as well. Legolas couldn't tell if he was intrigued by the boy's brave nature, his magical prowess or if he was remembering Aragorn. Nonetheless, Elrond seemed to have the same reaction to James as his own father did. It was interesting to watch their parental instincts come back from where they had retired to after all the years not being used.

Elladan and Elrohir had both been incredibly happy to meet James, immediately bringing him into their prank circle. When Legolas wasn't with James, the boy was with the twins, helping them plan their next great prank on the city. While neither Legolas nor Thranduil approved of it, they found it amusing to watch James scheme, writing all of his plans in English so no one could read them. James had even managed to convince Legolas to lend his expert marksmanship for one prank. It was an interesting time, to say the least.

One day, Legolas awoke in the treehouse, curled up in his father's arms as he always fell asleep when he was visiting. He felt a tugging at the back of his mind. He smiled, recognising the presence of the being in his mind. Gently, he shifted himself out of his Ada's embrace and stood. He gave a small stretch, not really needing to, but enjoying the sensation of his muscles straining. His movements had awoken his father despite his attempts to let the king rest some more. " _Why do you wake so early, my son? What troubles you?_ " Legolas smiled down at his father and shook his head.

" _Nothing troubles me, but I fear Mithrandir will be none too happy if I ignore his calling._ " That drew a chuckle from the dozing Elf. Thranduil, unlike Legolas, slept with his eyes open, but it was still possible to see when he was away in dreamland. " _Rest some more, dad. I shan't be long._ " Thranduil's eyes glazed over after he'd nodded his reply. Legolas relaxed slightly, happy to see the stressless features of his father's face. He cast a quick look at the sleeping boy who was curled up on a second mattress. He looked completely at ease.

The Elf dropped down the ladder and began making his way towards the main city. He wondered what Gandalf could want from him. They didn't speak as often as they had in the past, instead mostly corresponding through letters, so it was odd that the Wizard would call for him. Perhaps he simply wished to check up on the Elf. However, with Gandalf, the less troublesome option was rarely available.

The area that Gandalf had set up his little shop and house was somewhere close to the middle of the second circle of the city. Many of the items that were sold there were imbued with magic. Legolas had always loved seeing all the different fireworks, and sparklers that Gandalf could make. Sometimes, however, there were more important objects in the shop. Invisible rings, Good-Health potions and other things that Elves wouldn't be able to get in other places.

The front of the shop looked fairly similar to most of the rest of the houses; A white facade decorated with beautiful drawings of the place owner's history. Elves enjoyed showing off what they had achieved through pictures displayed on the front of their houses, and Gandalf had followed that same tradition. The front differed from the others in that it was also covered in hanging plants that had been carefully grown to cover some of the more brutal paintings that decorated the front of the building. All of the flowers were different colours and different patterns, and Legolas was sure there were some very potent herbs mixed in.

He stepped up to the door, about to knock when the door swung open on its own. He chuckled to himself, recognising Gandalf's magic as it swirled around him. He stepped into the main room, noticing that the layout had changed once more. The Wizard always changed how it was set out as it confused the Elves, and forced them to come to him and ask him where something was. It was Gandalf's little way of convincing an Elf to share a pipe with him. Legolas was one of the few that didn't need to ask for help but did so anyway in order to spend time with the old Maiar. " _What is it you wake me for, old friend?_ " Legolas called out into the empty shop, making his way to the back, where he knew the Wizard would be.

" _Perhaps it better I show you, for I fear it may be more troublesome than it looks._ " Of course, trouble seemed to follow the Wizard and he had no problem dragging some poor innocent into it.

" _You will not be borrowing one of my Hobbits to save the world again,_ " He said as he turned the last corner and came across the Wizard leaning over a bowl.

" _No, I don't think I shall._ " His voice was distracted. Legolas stepped up beside the Maiar and peered into the liquid that filled the bowl. He recognised it as the Mirror of Galadriel. He'd heard she had gifted it to the Maiar some few thousand years ago but hadn't seen anything of it since. As he gazed into it, the images swirled and formed, but none of them he could understand. " _Legolas. I fear your new friend will be a key part of Middle-Earth's new future. I see only black in his future. You must protect him. He is too young to have his life torn like this._ " Gandalf ran his hand over the mirror and the images faded. Legolas felt fear bubble in his throat. He had hoped that his instincts telling him that trouble hung over James was wrong.

" _Tell me, what have you seen? How can I help?_ " Gandalf looked up from the mirror finally, staring into Legolas' very soul.

" _There is a dark Magi rising, one who intends on bringing death and destruction to the world. The Mirror shows that James and a woman of red hair will defy him trice before their end will come._ " Legolas held his emotions in check. He refused to show how the news had affected him. For someone as old as he was, it was still a shock to his very system when he heard of his friends dying. Hearing that James, someone Legolas had grown to care deeply for, was destined to die facing against a dark man who desired nothing but chaos wasn't something the Elf wanted to face.

" _How do we stop that from happening?_ "

" _It entirely depends on James' actions. We cannot do anything until the time draws near. I see he is grown into a young man and there are pumpkins outside doors. We must wait until those things happen for us to make a move._ " Gandalf stood to his full height, a couple of inches shorter than the Elf, and placed a hand on his shoulder. " _We shall not see him die, young one. I know we will find a way to change this dark fate._ " Legolas nodded, already trying to think of ways in which he could stop the Magi from killing James. He refused to let the child under his care fall to someone who had fallen into darkness.

" _Of course._ " Gandalf smiled and led Legolas further into the shop, pulling a pipe from his robes.

" _Now then. Let's enjoy some peace before the sun is high._ " Legolas, despite still being worried, forced himself to smile in return and leave the worries behind for the moment. He had missed spending time with Gandalf. The Wizard always seemed to have some tale to tell or a piece of wisdom to share. Thranduil would look after James until Legolas returned, he was sure of that.


	3. Home Is (not) Where the Heart Is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't speak French, so any used in the making of this fic is purely Google Translate.
> 
> Trigger warnings do apply to this chapter. Sections that mention abuse will be marked with the first and last word in bold. Please proceed with caution.

**An** owl swooped low over tightly packed houses, a letter clutched tightly in its jaw. It knew the letter it was holding had to be delivered, for if it wasn't, there would be consequences. Carefully, it dipped into a dive. The wind blew past its face, swirling through its feathers. It was an exhilarating feeling, one that every bird relished in the few creatures able to fly. The owl ducked under a lamppost and released the letter from its beak. The magic curling around the envelope took over and it flew down to the letterbox. The owl tipped up and landed on the roof, immediately beginning to preen its feathers. It had completed its task, and it was a job well done.

Through an open window, voices floated up to the owl and it stopped to listen. "We are descended from kings, boy. You must remember that. Stand up straight." The voice was a sharp shrilling voice that pierced the air around it. "Now. Introduce yourself to me. Now."

"My name is Sirius Orion Black. I am of The Most Noble and Ancient House-"

"Wrong." The second voice sounded young, only a child who hadn't yet reached puberty. It was a beautiful voice, one that sounded as though it should be singing. The owl fluttered off of the roof and settled on the windowsill, curious about the two people talking in the house. "Do it again." The woman was hideous. She wore only black, looking like a Victorian widow, and her face was aged beyond her years, giving her the face of an elderly woman despite her possible youth. There was a great wart on her nose. She stood straight-backed with her hands pressed into the shorter boy's shoulders. Her hands revealed pale, stretched skin with a white-knuckled grip on the boy, shaking him slightly.

The boy was sweet looking, with youthful features and slightly chubby cheeks. His hair was long and curled around his shoulders, not quite long enough to tie out of his face. He had grey eyes that seemed to glow in the dim lighting of the room. He was also dressed as though he was from the victorian era, wearing a shirt with a frilled collar and waistcoat. However, he wasn't stood as straight as the woman, nor were his clothes as neat. His cuffs were loose and his shirt hanging out from underneath his waistcoat. "My name is Sirius Orion Black. I am of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black."

"Good." His shoulders were released from her grip, and the owl could see the tension leave the boy. "Now, stand proper." The boy straightened as much as he could, standing taller than he had before, although not as tall as the woman by far. "In french."

"Je m'appelle Sirius Orion Black. Je suis de la noble et la plus ancienne maison de Black." His voice seemed to lose its melody as it spoke in the foreign tongue. The owl didn't know french, of course, but recognised it as the same phrase as before. The woman stepped away and moved away from the window.

"Good. I want you to keep practising that. You will have it perfected by this evening when we meet with the Malfoys and Potters." There was the sound of the door being opened and closed. Once the door clicked shut, the boy, Sirius, relaxed from his tense position. The owl fluttered its wings, ruffling its feathers ready to take flight and leave the house. The boy snapped his head to the window, startled to see the owl settled there. After a moment he relaxed once more.

"Oh. Just an owl." He made his way over, his hands raised as the universal sign of peace. "What are you doing here? Don't you have someplace to be?" The owl hooted, amused by the young boy's words. He reached the owl and lowered his hands. "Go on. You should get out of here. Mother will think you're spying on us. She's like that." He reached out with a hand, going to push the bird away. The owl stooped and pecked his hand, stopping him from pushing it away.

Sirius pulled his hand back, holding it to his chest. Blood spilt through his fingers and slipped under his sleeve. The owl felt bad for pecking him, but it had been cautious against him touching it. "Okay. I won't touch you then, but you need to go." Sirius sounded pained. His voice wavered and there were tears in his eyes. It didn't know if they were from the cut on his hand or from fear for something else. Nonetheless, the owl dipped its head and flapped its wings, taking off and returning to its perch on the roof. It would not keep the boy anymore when its presence wasn't welcome.

In the dimly lit room, Sirius let out a breath. The owl was gone finally, and he didn't have to worry about his mother or father finding it and snapping its neck. He looked down at his hand and frowned as he saw the blood staining the white sleeve. Quickly, he turned and left the room so he could change his shirt and throw the one he was wearing away. His mother would have a fit if she saw the stain, and Sirius wasn't about to face Crucio again over something so **trivial.**

* * *

 **Two** girls were sat in a field. There weren't any flowers in bloom so late in the year, so both of them insisted that it wasn't a meadow. None the less, they were pulling at the blades of grass, bored. The two had been kicked out of the house despite the cold weather because they'd accidentally broken their mother's favourite vase. It had been Petunia who had broken it, but the blonde older sister pinned the blame on her little sister, Lily. Said child was grateful their mother was in a forgiving mood that day.

Lily could still feel the stretching of her skin around the wounds on her back from her father, and the bruising on her wrists from her mother. Petunia had some as well, but she avoided most of the wounds by blaming her sister for everything she did. Lily was envious of her sister. She wanted to be just like her, keeping out of trouble and able to blame someone else so she didn't have to get those punishments. As Lily twisted a blade of grass between her fingers, she noticed that it seemed to be changing. She paused, staring at the little bud that had formed on the tip of the blade of grass. How was that possible? Surely a flower shouldn't be blooming in autumn. Gently, she poked the tip of the bud with her finger, shocking herself when, at her touch, the flower bloomed into a beautiful petunia. "Petunia, look!" She exclaimed, looking up to where her sister was sat.

"What is it, Lily. I'm still upset at you for getting us kicked out." Lily didn't let the words deter her, instead, holding her hand out, showing the older the flower in her hand. "How the bloody hell did you find a flower at this time of year?"

"It bloomed in my hand. It's beautiful, don't you think?" Lily spun it between her fingers, grinning widely at how it twirled.

"Don't be ridiculous. Flowers don't bloom once they've been picked. I bet you stole it from Mum's vase and are trying to show off." Petunia snatched the flower from her sister's hand and took off from the field. Lily blanched and launched up after her sister.

"Hey! Give it back!" Lily knew she was meant to keep her voice down, as their neighbourhood was a quiet one and her mother would surely get mad at her for yelling and disturbing everyone, but she was much too startled to care. Petunia had stolen the flower that she had found.

"MUM!" Petunia yelled out as well, holding the flower to her chest with a triumphant look on her face. "Mum! Lily stole one of your flowers!" Lily scrambled to keep up with her sister, being the shorter of the two. Her face paled when she spotted her mother stood on their doorstep, with her hands on her hips looking utterly furious.

"What have I told you about yelling outside, Petunia?" Lily skidded to a halt before the gate onto their property. She had no idea how to proceed. If she tried telling her mother anything that contradicted her sister then she'd be punished for lying, but if she lied, then she'd be punished for something else no doubt. Perhaps it was better if she stayed away.

Her legs burned from the pain of running so fast, and Lily was sure her heart would leap out of her chest at any moment. "But Mum, Lily was yelling much louder than me, and she stole one of the flowers from the broken vase." Petunia held up the flower to their mother, a smirk plastered on her pretty face. Lily dipped her head down and made her way forward, knowing there was no possible way for her to get out of the punishment.

"Is this true, Lily?" There was a hand on the girl's shoulder. The grip was tight and nails were digging into her shoulder. She suppressed the wince.

"Yes, Mummy," She breathed out. It would do her no better to lie. For that surely must have been what had happened. She stole a glance up at Petunia as her mother pulled her into the house. A bubble of sick rose in her throat when she saw the smug look on her older sister's face. She quickly dropped her eyes again, fighting back tears. No doubt she wouldn't get off easily. Petunia had already accused her of breaking the vase, and with the flower, Lily was doubtful she would be going to school the next day.

Neither sister saw the boy with black hair watching them through parted curtains from across the **street.**

* * *

The sun was setting over the cliffs as Legolas pushed their boat away from the shore. There was a group of Elves waving them off, standing on the stairs, and Thranduil was watching from the sand. James thought it looked like the King was contemplating coming with them; His feet were just short of the gentle touch of the ocean, and even in the lower lighting, James could make out that his eyes were trained on the sail. Legolas climbed in from the water, his feet bare and wet. The two waved back to the Elves on the shore. And James thought he might have heard Thranduil wish them well before turning his back on them.

He hadn't wanted to leave, far too happy surrounded by so many interesting people, but he found that when Legolas mentioned his mother and father, that he missed them dreadfully. He peered over the edge of the boat as Legolas steered them away from the island. He already missed Thranduil and Gandalf, who he had met a little later in his stay. He also missed the twins, and their genius pranks, and Lord Elrond and all of his wisdom. Everything in the Undying Lands seemed so much more simple, and James hoped that one day he could live there forever, just like the Elves.

Creatures were moving under the surface, none of which James could identify. He spotted what might be a Kelpie, something his mother taught him about before they'd left, but he couldn't be certain as there were many a creature that looked similar. Legolas was humming gently, his eyes half-closed. Despite that James didn't fear that they would get lost at sea. The Prince had been doing this trip since forever, and could definitely do it with his eyes closed. James smiled to himself as he spotted a smaller creature darting through the water.

He was startled out of his musings as a sudden blast of cold air hit him. Looking up, he noticed that the Undying Lands were no longer visible. That meant they had passed through the gateway between the two realms. He turned in his seat and found he could see the coastline of England fast approaching. The wind whipped past his face, and the water churned beneath them. "It won't be a gentle sail back. Be careful not to go leaning over the edge now," Legolas spoke, his tone warning and kind. James nodded, staying rooted in his position, feeling the tugging from the element below them. Legolas was able to avoid sailing against the current, but at times he had to tug the boat back on course. It was rather unpleasant. Typical English waters.

Eventually, they managed to reach the shore. It was the same cove that they'd sailed from, although there was very little beach left. Most of had been covered by the high tide. Some of the water was even spilling into the caves that the boats would be moored in. James realised that Legolas had timed that deliberately. It would be much easier to get the sailing boat into the cave if they could use the tide to their advantage. A grin split across his lips as he realised the cleverness of his friend. He glanced back and found that Legolas was smiling as well, although there was a tight look of concentration in his eyes.

A wave caught them from behind and slung them towards the rocks. James braced, wondering if they would shatter against the cliff-side after having a rather uneventful journey. Instead of that, Legolas swung the boat around at the last second, having stood from his seat to use his full body-weight to tip the boat in the right direction. James let out a startled sound as they spun completely around, another wave catching the front of the boat this time and sending them crashing onto the sands. "Quick now, little one. Up." James launched up from his seat, jumping out of the boat and landing in the wet sand. He was wishing he had chosen to leave his shoes in his bag instead of wearing them, as they got stuck in the sinking sediment. "Up the cliff as fast as you can," Legolas called, and James followed the order without pause. He didn't like how the sea seemed to rear its head towards them.

A wave much taller than he was approaching, and James knew it would drop itself on the both of them if he didn't move quickly. He took for the steps that would take him to the top of the cliff, hoping his short legs and sticky shoes would get him there before the water came crashing down on him. He spared a glance back at Legolas to see the Elf pulling the boat along the sand much faster than James had ever seen a boat moved, aided by the water swirling around his feet.

He reached the steps just in time, hurrying up them and out of reach of the wave just as it slammed into the cove. Water spilt into the cave and James watched in amazement as Legolas guided the boat in, using the power behind the wave to his advantage. James watched until Legolas was out of sight, before taking off up the steps once more. As he reached the top, he saw the water was receding slightly, and Legolas was making his way up the steps almost soaked through. James had been lucky that he had managed to escape most of the water, only his shoes, and subsequently his socks, being soaked through.

The Elf reached the top of the steps and grinned widely. James grinned in return, amused by how drenched the Prince was. As Legolas reached the top, he patted himself down, the water spilling off of him, leaving him mostly dry. "Now then. Let's go home, shall we?" James chirped in agreement, and the two made their way to where they knew their horse to be waiting for them. Legolas had paid for him to be kept on a small farm for the duration of their time away. James took Legolas' bag from him, while the Elf pulled James' suitcase along behind him. The sun had set and as James looked up he saw all of the stars shining brilliantly above him.

Legolas lifted James onto the saddle before climbing up behind him. "Shouldn't you be in front?" James inquired, wondering what Legolas had in mind.

"And wouldn't you like the steer?" James' eyes widened and he grinned. He nodded rapidly, taking up the reins. He, of course, already knew how to ride a horse, but he was much more used to galloping through the familiar trees of Mirkwood. "I'll direct you, but you decide where we go." Legolas ruffled James' hair. James nodded once again.

"Okay. Which way then?"

"North East." Legolas pointed in the direction they needed to go, and James spotted a path leading away from the farm that followed the direction they needed to take. A smile grew on his face as he gently kicked his heels into the horse's flanks, encouraging it to start at a slow pace.

They trotted along the pathway, the moon casting a white glow over the ground. James didn't feel tired at all, buzzing with energy as they rode, however at one point he was sure that Legolas chose to take a short nap, his eyes remaining open, but glazed over. The sun rose around them after a few hours, and James finally began to feel the sleepiness washing over him, however, he knew he couldn't sleep until the next nightfall otherwise it would completely throw off his sleep schedule. Instead, he slowed their horse down into a slow walk, as that means he wouldn't have to focus as much on riding.

Once again, it took them three days to return to Epbraun, the small village that James lived in. According to Legolas and Radagast, it used to be called something else, but that name had been lost in time to the Humans. Esgaroth. James preferred that name far better than the one they called it now, but it hadn't been called that for many thousands of years. Radagast had spoken of a great lake where a dragon lay dead at the bottom. It had dried up long before anyone in the village had been born, but even still, people dared not set foot on the land where the dragon lay.

It was a local legend that the land was cursed by the death of the dragon, and no one dared build a thing there. Even now, when people thought dragons to be make-believe, they didn't dare disagree with such an old legend. Much like Goblins and Trolls, Dragons were one of the few races from the Old Ages that remained known to Humans. Although it was only Wizards, or Magi as Legolas called them, that knew of them.

The two of them dismounted and made their way through the town. The sun was high in the sky and people were moving about doing their business. In such a small town, not many people had cars, so it wasn't odd to see someone walking through the cobblestone streets with a horse at their side. Even still, many turned to watch the two as they walked. Most had never seen Legolas before, and all had heard about James leaving for a vacation without his parents. As they stared upon the Elf, something in the minds of the Muggles clicked into place. They knew that the Elf was just another person in their town passing through.

Even despite the many years since Humans and Elves had lived together, there was still a deep-set instinct telling the Muggles of the village that the Elf they looked upon was kind and curious. James could see all of that in their eyes. He smiled politely to the nurse, who was helping an elderly lady with her shopping. The nurse was the same one that had been working when he had been born, and then she had been quite young, although, now not so much.

They reached the Potter's house, and Euphemia met them out in the garden. "James!" She had a wide smile on her face, running towards the boy and scooping him up into her arms. "I'm glad you're alright. You simply must tell us all about it." She waved politely to Legolas as she hurried James inside so they could talk. The Elf chuckled after them as Fleamont came out to help with the bags.

"She's been overexcited about today. How was your trip?" Legolas helped Fleamont relieve the horse of the weight of the bags, and allowed the mare to roam the garden without restraint. The two entered the house and immediately were hit with the joyous voices of James and Euphemia happily chatting about Valinor. "I would say she's as excited as James." Both of them chuckled as they moved further into the house, finding James and Euphemia settled into an armchair in front of the fireplace, talking animatedly while their hands flowed with their words. Legolas smiled at the sight, remembering a time when he had been James' age and he did the same with his father in the throne-room.

"A little excitement never hurt anyone." He said while the smile stretched wider. Their little family felt complete to Legolas as if the three of them were content exactly how they were. He wouldn't want to intrude.

"No, of course not." Fleamont put the suitcase down and moved to sit near his wife and son. "Will you be staying for supper?" Legolas felt as though he was entirely welcome to stay, but he knew he needed to return to the forest and ensure all was well after his leave.

"I'm afraid not, at least, not for today. The forest may require my attendance, although I won't know until I check." Fleamont nodded, understanding what Legolas was saying.

"Well alright. You are welcome any night you so desire. I'm sure James will be all too obliged to welcome you over." Fleamont grinned as if sharing some secret. It was certainly no secret to anyone in the room that Legolas was a friend of the youngest.

"Perhaps I shall take you up on that offer." James had hopped off of his mother's lap and hugged Legolas' side, hearing that the Elf wasn't staying for dinner.

"Come back tomorrow if you can?" He almost whined, desperately holding onto the Elf. The grin on Legolas' face was a wide one, and he crouched down to the boy's level to address him.

"I promise that should the entire forest not have burned down in my absence, I will ensure that I am here tomorrow for dinner if your mother is not opposed to having me." He glanced up at Euphemia, receiving a nod of confirmation from the woman. He looked James in the eyes and ruffled the boy's already messy hair. "Now I'm sorry to be off so soon, but you know how the creatures are if left alone." James knew, of course, that some of the more adventurous magical creatures were keen to cause trouble for the Elf-Prince, so he nodded and hurried back over to his mother to hug into her side once more.

"Thank you for taking James away with you. I can't imagine he would have spent a day in joy without you." Fleamont spoke kindly, seeing how attached to the Elf his son had become. Legolas bowed to the two Human Wizards before leaving, not forgetting to bid young James a goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter is only short, but I wrote it and knew that I wanted that to be the cutting point of the chapter as the next part had a fairly big time-skip.
> 
> I've got the next one partially written so it might not take me as long to get that out as usual, but I can't make any promises.
> 
> Thanks for reading!!


	4. Darkness Looming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so in the last chapter I forgot to put warnings for the mentions of abuse. I'm terribly sorry about that. Usually, I would make sure, but I had uploaded it in a rush, not that that excuses my actions. I hope you can forgive me.  
> The appropriate tags have been added, and I'm going to edit the chapter after this one goes up to make sure that people know there is triggering content.
> 
> On a slightly lighter note; I had planned on introducing Sirius in this chapter, but I decided against it because it felt forced. But I'm quite happy with the way this one turned out so I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.
> 
> Since on the topic of triggers, there is a section of this chapter that details torture (kind of). If that is something that could trigger you, I advise you to skip it. I'll mark the first and last words in bold so you know which part to skip x

The air was fridged and yet children were still hurrying about, wearing their thick coats and gloves to keep them warm. Lily was sat on a bench in the park with a large book in her lap, as it was too heavy for her to hold up. She could hear the other children all laughing happily across from her, but instead of going to join them, she continued to read. She much preferred it anyway. Petunia was somewhere in the trees, likely snogging her boyfriend, and Lily was certainly not going to go out of her way to find her sister when that was a possible scene to stumble upon.

Someone settled onto the bench beside Lily. She dared not look up, wondering if it was some strange man that was going to try and steal her away. "What are you reading?" She looked up, not expecting the youthful voice. The boy sat next to her had dark black hair that fell over his eyes. His face was sharp despite his young stature. His eyes were soft-looking, although there was something there that Lily didn't yet know the name of. It seemed familiar, but Lily couldn't quite place what it was.

"Charles Dicken. Are you a fan?" The boy shook his head. She smiled, happy to have someone to talk about her books to. "Oh, you should. He is a marvellous storyteller. My favourite is A Christmas Carol, but I'm only allowed to read that in December. Mummy says that I shouldn't read Christmas books unless it's almost Christmas, because its bad luck." She was grinning widely and rocking back and forth in her seat. Her feet were swinging below her. No one had ever taken the time to listen to her, often cutting her off before she got the chance to even mention her favourite book.

"I highly doubt reading a book can bring any bad luck, although perhaps it will curse you. My father always says that mothers know best." Lily felt horrified. Was it truly possible for a book to curse someone? She didn't believe in magic, thinking it something that only existed in fairytales, but the boy spoke with such certainty that Lily didn't know whether to believe him or not.

"Can a book really curse you?" Her book sitting heavy on her lap was long forgotten. The boy was pretty looking and she had never spoken to a boy for as long before. It was new, and Lily loved new things.

"Oh yes. I've been cursed before, but mum is really good at counter curses so she helped me get... get uncursed." Lily was in wonder. "Um. I'm Severus Snape." The boy held his hand out, which Lily graciously took. They shook in greeting.

"I'm Lily Evans. It's lovely to meet you."

The two sat and spoke to each other, ignoring the cold surrounding them that turned their breath to clouds before them. Severus never seemed to be affected by the cold, even when Lily's fingers began turning blue from the chill. Eventually, the two were interrupted when Petunia emerged from the trees, her cheeks flushed pink, though Lily didn't know whether it was from the cold (that had undoubtedly turned her cheeks red and numb as well) or from how rumpled her clothes appeared to have gotten. "Come on Lily. We should be getting back now," Petunia snapped at her younger sister. Lily closed the book on her lap, which pages had turned sharp under her sore fingertips. She stood up, clutched the book even when her fingers protested the movement.

"Will I see you again, Severus?" The boy looked hopeful, a small smile on his face. She returned it in vigour.

"Definitely." His voice once again left no room for uncertainty. Lily nodded and waved goodbye to him as she hurried after her sister who'd already begun to leave the park without her. She didn't see the blush on Severus' cheeks or the sky smile that spread into a smirk as she departed.

Lily and Petunia approached their street. Seeing their house, Lily slowed down slightly, wondering as to whether her mother was home. "Oh hurry up, Lily. Dinner will be soon and I'll blame you if it's cold." Lily knew it was absurd to fall for the bait. Both of them knew that even if they were later than normal the food would still be warm for them, but Lily knew better than to argue with her sister. It just wasn't worth it, So she picked up her speed, falling in step beside her sister once more. "So, who was the boy? I haven't seen him before. Does he go to your school?" Lily looked up at Petunia, wondering what the older would do with whatever information she gave her.

"He was Severus. I don't think he goes to my school. I haven't seen him around before. We were talking about books." Petunia rolled her eyes in response.

"Ugh, those stupid books. I can't imagine anyone wants to hear what you have to say about those boyish things." Petunia waved her hand in dismissal and stepped past the gate into their front garden. Lily stopped where she stood. It wasn't uncommon for Petunia to throw insults around, but Lily hated it when she insulted her books.

"My books aren't boyish." She got no reply from her sister. The tension left her shoulders when she reminded herself that she'd gotten worked up over nothing. Petunia didn't care for Lily's opinions anyway. She shuffled into the garden and closed the gate behind her. She looked up and spotted Severus wandering along the pavement on the other side of the road. She stared in amazement as he pushed open the gate to the house opposite hers and opened the front door. She caught a glance of a woman greeting Severus and wondered if that was his mother. For a moment, it seemed as though their eyes met, but the door was closed a moment later.

"Lily! Get inside now!" She turned and hurried into her house, not sparing the time to look back.

* * *

The soft crackling of fire greeted James as he pushed open the door to Radagast's cabin. The Wizard wasn't in at the moment, but he'd always told James that he could come around even if he wasn't there, so that was what the young Magi had done. He hurried over to the armchair and set his bag down on the floor by it. He took a glance at the hearth and felt the magic that kept it from spreading. There was a wide smile on his face as he settled into the comfort of the seat, closing his eyes for a moment.

He made sure he didn't fall asleep, only closing his eyes for just over a second before he sat forward and reached down for his bag. In it, was a new book that Legolas had gotten him. It was written in Old Westron, and although some of the words weren't familiar to him, it was still a fairly easy read. The Lord Of The Rings. According to Legolas, it was the story of an adventure that Legolas had gone on a long time ago. He had wondered if the Elf had told him pieces of the tale before, but when he'd asked, Legolas had shaken his head, looking sad. James didn't ask more after that. He knew he would have to read to find out.

That was how Radagast found him, well after dark. The boy had summoned a ball of light to hover over his head while he read the book. "Little one, you should be getting back. Your parents must be worried." James looked up, startled.

"Radagast! I thought you weren't meant to be back until sundown?" The Wizard chuckled and simply looked at the glowing orb. James followed his line of sight and blushed. "Oh. Sorry, I didn't realise how much time had passed." He placed a bookmark between the pages and hopped down from the chair.

"It's quite alright. Hurry back now, or else the Ents will play ball with you in the forest." James nodded, quickly packing his things up and hurrying off. Radagast watched through the window as the boy hurried into the treeline, a green glow following surrounding him and lighting his way home.

James had turned ten and was still as energetic as he'd always been. In the coming of his birthday, Radagast and Legolas had decided that they wanted to tell James about the War of the Ring. The storybook that Frodo Baggins had left behind had seemed like the best way to do so. He was young, and telling him of the horrors would do him no good. The book was the truth, but it was a book, and there was only so much detail a writer can go into.

There was evil brewing in the Human Realm, and Radagast knew that. He recognised the darkness the was infesting the trees. He wondered how long it would be before the magical trees succame to the darkness that was infecting the world. It was sad that after all of the years the forest had spent without darkness swarming between the leaves it was still so susceptible to the evils of the realm. If only there was a way to protect it.

Already there was a noticeable difference in the creatures that were more prone to falling into darkness' clutches. Legolas was having troubles keeping some of the magical creatures in line during court meetings. Some were lashing out at the rest of the council in fury over simple disagreements. Both the Wizard and Legolas were becoming worried that the darkness would once more consume the forest, and without the light of hundreds of Elves, there would be nothing from stopping the darkness from swallowing the ancient forest entirely.

* * *

The trees whined a groaned, reaching out for one another as the evil infested their roots. They were crying out for help from their Elven friends who were no longer with them, a deep sadness embedded into their hearts.

Legolas was forced to walk amongst the festering sorrow as he accompanied the Dwarves to a trading meeting with the Goblins of Gringotts. Goblins were notorious for falling into darkness. Legolas could still remember the tales of the Goblin wars from his father. The Dwarves had expressed their concerns that the Goblins wouldn't be so willing to trade as they had been before unless the Prince came to mediate the two hot-headed races.

While James was at school, Legolas had no issues with leaving the forest to accompany them. He wasn't entirely sure when he had grown so attached to the young Human, but he found he didn't mind that he'd found a friend in the world outside of his forest.

They approached the edge of the forest on the farthest south side and were greeted by the sound of Goblin chatter. Legolas didn't reach for his bow, and neither did the Dwarves reach for their axes. It would be unwise to pre-provoke already unsteady agreements. The Elf was grateful that he had come along to remind the Dwarves not to go rushing in with axes swinging or else the forest would have likely lost one of their main sources of money flow.

You see, the Human's thought that the Goblins enjoyed mining and digging, and, of course, they did, but their thirst for gold was not nearly as strong as Dwarves. That meant that when the Goblins chose to live amongst the humans, they had reached out for the Dwarves' help to bring them gold that they could sell to the Humans. A percentage of that profit would then go to the forest to help them. It was a simple system, and it worked well, but creatures that angered easily like the Dwarves and the Goblins often fell into conflict. It was truly a testament of dedication that the trade agreements hadn't fallen apart already.

"Are you sure it's wise to go in without weapons in hand? I feel awful' exposed not being ready to swing should this be an ambush." The leader of the Dwarven trading group was a gruff, stout Dwarf with a deep, baritone voice. His steps thundered even when he tried walking in silence. Sneaking was certainly nothing the Dwarves had developed since the days of old.

"I am certain that having your axe pointed at them upon arrival will only make things worse." The Dwarf grunted in acknowledgement and continued forward, passing through the tree line to meet the Goblins. The rest of the Dwarves followed behind them, some pulling carts stacked with bars of gold. Legolas supposed that was something impressive about the Miners, they were incredibly strong compared to many of the other races.

The Goblins stood from where they had seated themselves in front of their cave entrance. In order to not be seen by Muggles, they travelled to and from the forest through a series of tunnels carefully crafted and enchanted to remain undiscovered by the Humans. "Greetings," The leader of the Goblins spoke in a sharp tone, higher in pitch than the Dwarves, but not by much. "Might I ask the need for the presence of the Prince? Awfully suspicious, don't you think." There was a glare on his stiff features. His arching eyebrows turned down into a deep frown. Legolas raised an eyebrow at the Goblin's careless words.

"I am merely here to ensure that all trading goes without dispute." A growl emanated from the Goblin, and his clawed hand went down to the blade sitting on his hip.

"You think us thieves? You think we need you here to watch over us to ensure that no gold is stolen? Blasphemous." There was pure disdain in the tone of the Goblin. The Dwarves tensed, not drawing their weapons yet, but preparing to if the order were to be given.

"You misunderstand me. I am simply being cautious. We both know that your race is susceptible to the darkness that is spreading across these lands. I wish to ensure that your wellbeing will not affect these trades." Legolas remained relaxed, his posture not giving away his desire to draw his weapon in front of the creatures that had killed many of his kind in the past. He knew it wasn't wise to act so rashly. He also knew the Goblins standing before him weren't the same as their ancestors.

There were a tense few seconds before the Goblin relaxed, seemingly seeing the reasoning behind Legolas' words. "Very well, your highness. I'm sure you can understand our hesitations. It is not kind to be distrusted so easily."

"If it is any heartening, I find I trust Dwarves even less." There was a quirk in his lips that notified to the two parties that his words meant no harm. They were a joke. It successfully drew laughter from the entire crowd, if not short, nervous chuckles, but laughter nonetheless. The Dwarves lowered their hands and the Goblins followed suit. "Now then, I believe there is trading to be made. I shall leave you to it, but I shall not travel far." The Goblin Leader bowed deeply, and the leader of the Dwarves mimicked. Legolas always found it amusing to see the two races bowing to an Elf, remembering times when they would have rather been beheaded than bowed to one.

He took a short stroll through the foliage around the edge of the trees, keeping within hearing of the Dwarves and Goblins. He could hear a pack of Wargs howling off in the distance, far from the trees. They had the unfortunate pleasure of becoming more Wolf-like through the years and were indiscernible from Wolves to the Humans. However, they kept their ancient language, and Legolas knew it well, so when he heard the howling he knew it was them. They were playing some kind of hunting game, free from the clutches of evil still.

He returned to the meeting place after half an hour of wandering and listening to Wargs. The Goblins had left already, with all of the gold, leaving behind many a fantastic jewel in return. A smile formed on his lips as he saw the Dwarves almost drooling over the shining of the crystals. "All is well, I presume?" The leader, who was sat back observing the rest fawn over the payment, looked up and grinned widely at Legolas.

"Oh most certainly. A few disagreements, but nothing more than usual I should say. Speaking of saying, we should be staying here for the night, just inside the treeline. I don't suppose you'll be staying the night?" There was joy in his tone that had previously been laced with concern. Legolas shook his head in return.

"No. I must be getting back soon. I'm sure you shall be fine without me." He placed his hand over his heart and dipped his head forward.

"Very well then. Have safe travels, dear Prince."

"And you as well, sir Kaldaf." Legolas picked up his satchel, he'd left it behind at the camp during the negotiations, and made his way back into the forest. The trees welcomed him, parting their branches for him as he walked along the path they'd come. Roots ducked under the ground away from his steps and leaves rustled with joy every time he ran his hand along their trunk.

As the light from the outside world faded away, the forest provided its own light to guide the Elf along the forest floor. His steps igniting a golden glow under him that spiralled up the trunks and to the tips of the leaves. Behind him that same light faded away, sinking back into the ground slowly.

* * *

**Black** filled the room. No light piercing the darkness. It was silent, and she was sure the shadows were moving with the melody of the silence. There were no shadows, only darkness, and there was no melody, only deep silence that flowed so freely through her that she could hear the pounding of her heart and the blood rushing around her body, failing to climb up her raised arms.

She couldn't feel her fingers. The only sensation was the rubbing of the ropes against her frail wrists as she swung helplessly from the ceiling.

A loud scratching filled the room at the same time light spilt in. A door had been opened. She whimpered as the light burst into the black room, blinding her. She bit back a sob, knowing that if she made a sound it would be worse for her. Even still, her arms strained as she tried desperately to get away from the approaching shadow. It was a man, she knew that much, despite having never seen his face. She also knew he loved to hear her scream. She had never seen his face, but she knew his eyes showed evil and reflected herself in them. Although, that certainly wasn't a metaphor of the man being scared as well, no, he enjoyed watching her whither under his careful actions.

When she'd grown up she'd loved witches, thinking they were fascinating with all of their history. She loved wizards as well, in all their kind, wise glory. But this man, this monster was nothing like them. She struggled against the ropes as he pulled a stick from his robes. He was a wizard, and perhaps he was wise, but he certainly wasn't kind. He held the power of the universe in his hands, and yet he chose to use it so that he could hear her scream. What kind of cruel reality was it that magic could become so tainted.

"Are you ready?" She thrashed. Maybe if she was able to loosen the ropes, if she could just get out of the room, she could run and be free. "Good." He raised his stick, his wand, and with a hiss, pain flooded through her body. Screams ripped from her throat before she had time to hold them back. She just wanted it to be over.

The pain went on forever, a never-ending cycle of being ripped apart and stitched back together again. Her mind faded away, sinking into the recesses of her subconscious. Darkness filled her, tainting her. It was taunting her, asking her to come to play. She didn't want to. All she wanted to do was sleep, and sleep. Sleep until there was no more sleep to be had. She fell slack, her mind was broken and sunken. Her shoulders blazed as they twisted, warm liquid running down her forearms and curling into her matted hair. The pain was gone, but the man still stood before her, his head tilted to the side.

"I wonder," He started. There was humour in his tone. She wanted to wipe that smile off of his face. "I always wondered why we held you Muggles in such high regard. You're pathetic. You don't deserve to live." He raised his wand, placing against her broken throat. "And I know just what to do with your soul." He raised a locket, letting it swing from the golden chain. She thought it was beautiful; the way its golden case shimmered from the light still coming through from the open door.

"Please." She had no idea what she was pleading for, her voice barely strong enough to be heard in the echoing silence.

A grin split across his face as if those were the words he was looking for. "Very well then, but I need you to do a job for me. You will protect this locket. Anyone who dares open it will be tormented by everything they fear, whether they know it's their fear or not. You will do that." She nodded, not caring what he wanted her to do. Anything to getaway. Anything to get as far from him as possible. "Good." He pressed his wand further into her throat, pinching the tight skin. A small sound escaped her lips before it was drowned out by a hissing voice. His voice, now rasping out foreign words. The last syllable passed his lips and green flooded her vision for only a moment before the black came. It felt like cold washing over her. In a split moment, she shivered once, violently before falling still, her mind shattered.

The man lowered his wand and stepped away from the hanging woman. Pocketing his wand, after performing the correct incantation to remove a chunk of his soul and place it into the locket using the energy released from killing her. There was a tight smile on his face. Immortality was nearer than it had ever been before. He turned and left the woman hanging from ropes in the basement. She was of no use to him **now.**

* * *

The sun rose over the hills, spilling golden light through the small window to James' bedroom. Blearily, the young boy blinked his eyes open and sat up, looking around slowly. Something had awoken the slumbering child. He didn't know what it was that had disturbed him. Carefully, he listened out, trying to hear if his parents were awake. There wasn't any movement in the house. Everything was quiet despite the sun being above the hills.

He swung his legs over the side of his bed and hopped down. His gut was still unsettled as if his magic was coiling up inside of him. He reached for his dressing gown, his eyes glazed over in a half-awake state. Wrapping the warm woollen fabric around himself, he trudged over to his door. The floorboards below his soft rug creaked as he weaved his way around toys and clothes.

The door loomed before him, the dread in his stomach coiling tighter. Something was wrong. He pulled his door open and crept down the steps to the living room. James slipped into the living room, finding no one there. A breeze passed him, ruffling his hair. The air hummed with worry. He ducked out of the living room and made his way towards the source of the breeze, the front door.

He rounded the corner and found it was wide open. Their front gate was open as well. He stepped out of the house, not bothered by the frigid stone beneath his feet as he slowly walked out to the gate. He glanced around, not seeing anyone on the street. Something was very wrong. "Master James?" He spun around and found Pipper stood behind him. She looked solemn. Her hands were fiddling with a sealed letter. "You 'ought to come back inside." She was nervous. Twisting her fingers as she led him back into the house, closing the door behind them. "I will have to leave again soon, but I'll make you some breakfast if you'd like it. Read this first though."

"What's going on?" James allowed himself to be nudged into a seat. He took the letter that was offered for him but waited for Pipper to say something. When she didn't he turned his attention to the letter.

The parchment was from his father's study. It felt familiar under his hands from when he took some to draw on. There wasn't a seal, so it must have been made in a rush. His father was rather a stickler for ensuring something was sealed properly. He pressed a finger onto the part of the parchment where the seal would usually sit, and it popped open. The handwriting inside was Fleamonts. He would know it anywhere, but it was messy. Something was wrong.

His eyes ran over the words, not recognising all of them, but understanding what it meant. His mum had been taken to the hospital. She was ill. She wouldn't be coming home for a while. Dad wouldn't be coming home for a while. James' hands shook and tears rolled down his face. They'd gone off without him. They'd left him all alone in the house.

A melodic voice rang in his ears, soothing his racing heart slightly. There was a loud crack, and a hand being placed on his shoulder. His head snapped up from the words before him. Legolas was crouched in front of the young Magi. "Gwinig." His voice was gentle, soothing his frantic thoughts. The Elf's hand rubbed his arm, comforting him. "Everything will be okay. Come on, I'll get you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry." And that was true. His appetite had vanished while the coiling in his gut had only become worse.

"I know, gwinig, but you must. If you don't eat it'll only get worse." Legolas coaxed James out of the armchair and towards the kitchen.

"What will?"

"That coiling in your gut. It hurts, doesn't it? Eating will soothe it. I promise." James nodded to the Elf, allowing himself to be guided into the kitchen and lifted onto the counter. He was tall enough to get up himself, but Legolas didn't give him a chance. He watched as the Elf flittered around the kitchen, finding whatever he needed to make breakfast for them. "Pipper came and found me before he gave you the letter. After you've eaten you can come and stay with me in the forest while your parents are at St. Mungos." James didn't reply. He was trying desperately to try and wrap his mind around what was going on. Legolas didn't push him, allowing him to process everything.

It wasn't until they were sitting down at the dining table, a small round table with four chairs all made of glossy oak wood, that James looked up and met his friend's eyes. "How do you do it?" His voice was weak. He was scared. What was wrong with his mum that had her going to St Mungo's.

"Do what, gwinig?" Tears built up in his eyes once more, but they didn't fall. Nor did the coil in his stomach knot any tighter. He felt safe looking into those crystal eyes.

"How do you deal with knowing someone you love is sick, and there's nothing you can do to help them?" His voice dropped his a whisper, breaking eye-contact with the Elf sitting across from him. A hand came to his, gently rubbing its thumbs across his knuckles.

"It takes time. When my emel passed, neither Ada nor I knew how to react. We were both young and grief-stricken. It took a long time for us to come to terms with it, and yet we both still light a candle for her on her birthday no matter where we are." James looked up to the Elf, finding sadness in his eyes. James had never thought that Legolas must have had a mother at some point. "She was dreadfully ill as well, and she fought for as long as she could. We thought she might get better, but it wasn't to be. Your mother won't leave you in this world to fend off its evils alone. I promise you." James nodded, accepting the Elf's words, finding them wise and confusing, but he understood their meaning.

They ate in mostly silence, Legolas occasionally mentioning something funny he'd heard in court. It brought James' mood up significantly.

By the time they began making their way into the forest, the sun was high in the sky. James would be staying in Legolas' cabin, a half-day ride away. The trees glowed brilliantly around James and Legolas, lighting their path through the brush. Being surrounded by the trees, their leaves tickling James' face to draw a laugh from him, calmed him. It was a sweet feeling, like home, only different. It felt like Legolas; like friendship and fellowship. "You know, once there were thirteen Dwarves and a Hobbit walking through these trees. Back when this place was haunted with evil, and the trees were far less kind to other creatures. They almost fell into the river."

There was a playful smile on Legolas' face, his whole being glowing with delight. James was grinning as well, knowing all too well what the river would do to someone who fell into it. Washing their memories away in a moment. It was a terrifyingly beautiful stretch of water, one that James didn't even dare anger in fear that it would break its banks and wash him away with it.

"Did they get away?"

"Only almost, one of them had the unfortunate pleasure of taking a dunk, although thankfully he only lost a day of thoughts. Though perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing. Dwarves do have some brutish thoughts, especially when they're hungry." Legolas pulled a face, doing a shockingly terrible impression of a Dwarf's deep, base-filled tones. James burst with laughter, enjoying the moment of reprieve from the thought of his mother in the hospital.

* * *

"Is there nothing that can be done?"

"I'm afraid not, sir. There are Muggle medicines that would better assist her in holding back the effect, but it is inevitable." The nurse could only watch on in sympathy as the husband stepped away from her to move to his wife, the woman bedbound in their hospital. She looked pale, and her whole body was shaking. She had never seen Huntington's develop so quickly in someone.

"If I got these medicines, would she be able to come home?" The nurse was snapped out of her musing, turning her attention back to the husband, Fleamont Potter.

"I believe it would be possible, although you will have to take the right training, and until then she will have to remain here." Fleamont dropped into the hard, wooden chair beside his wife's side, dropping his head into his hands.

"My son. He'll have somewhere to stay until then. I'll do it." He said after a few seconds of contemplation. He looked up, his eyes blazing with determination. That look reminder her of why he was one of the best Auror's in the Ministry. That was the look of a husband who would never give up on the love of his life. She nodded, agreeing to set up an appointment with the Muggle hospital down the street so that he could be given the training to take his wife home to care for her. Gryffindors. She stepped out of the room and shook her head, amused by the love that burned brightly between the two Potters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I apologise for Euphemia. I don't know why I did that, but it seemed right.  
> I'm aware that this isn't the canonical way in which Euphemia dies, but I felt like dying of Dragon-Pox just seemed like a cheap way of getting grandparents out of the way, so I decided to change that.  
> Also, I would like to point out that I have no experience of people having Huntington's, but my mum does do I'll be asking her to make sure that any representation of it is accurate.
> 
> Thanks for reading!! x


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